


Glass Arrows

by jynx



Series: When Worlds Collide [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Breathplay, Camp Nanowrimo, Character Death, Curses, Depression, Dirty Talk, Drug Addiction, Dubious Consent, F/M, First Time, Floor Sex, Happy Ending, Headcanon, I couldn't resist, I promise a happy ending, Kidnapping, Kili is a BAMF, Kili is a kinky bastard, M/M, Multi, No Smaug, Non Consensual, Panic Attacks, Porn With Plot, Promise, Recreational Drug Use, Reincarnation, Sexting, Soulmates, Torture, Triple Durincest, and breaks kili's heart, arm kink, azog is an evil bastard, bamf!Kili, bar pickup, bard is an awesome friend, bifur can talk!, bilbo is a grocer, con men are kind of hot, dwalin is a metal worker, dwalin is amazing, fili has a bad past, fili is a charming bastard, fili is a glassblower, fili is an idiot sometimes, fili loves it, i have a thing for criminals, kili has a horrible sense of humor, kili teaches high school english, monty python makes kili want to bone, past bilbo/thorin, so much porn, teachers trump cops, who holds a serious grudge, writer should probably not write on such little sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2013-06-09
Packaged: 2017-12-07 19:16:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 64,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/752055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jynx/pseuds/jynx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fili and Kili meet at a bar and it sets in motion events that cannot be stopped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY I CAN MAKE NOTES NOW THAT I HAVE A COMPUTER.
> 
> Ahem. Sorry.
> 
> Okay, so. This story is part of my attempt at Camp NaNoWriMo (google it, it's awesome). I'm aiming for 20-30k but who knows with me. I tend to get wordy when I have a plot that I'm actually kind of fond of. This whole idea, also, started with texting, and the idea of Fili and Kili sexting each other dirty things while Kili's teaching and him trying very hard not to crack up or get a boner in front of his students. 
> 
> This is probably going to be a long, very bumpy, very emotional ride. I am already plotting some very not-nice things for our dear boys. This is a modern!au with reincarnation. First, I would like to clarify, NO ONE IS RELATED TO EACH OTHER. Because I don't think I could handle the issue of addressing incest correctly and with enough finesse. It's been done by writers a lot more talent than myself. You want that type of fic, please look elsewhere. 
> 
> What I can promise, though, is a lot of sex from Fili and Kili, Dwalin being a badass, Thorin trying very hard to make up for what happened before, and various members of the Company dropping in to complicate the entire issue. And possibly a big bad that might seriously mess with everyone's lives in a way that no one ever thought possible. 
> 
> So if you're interested, please step inside the car, strap yourself in, grab the bitch bar, and enjoy the rollercoaster.

He really shouldn't make a habit of doing this. He had ended up in the dive bar three streets over from his apartment for the past four days, sometimes bringing work but mostly just sitting at one of the back booths and drinking a Blue Moon or five. He didn't really have a reason to drink. Work was work, though teaching high school was it's own special kind of hell, and his archery team was doing well in the rankings. So there wasn't really any particular reason he was doing this except for the itch under his skin.

He felt like his skin was two sizes too small and there was this expectation in the back of his head, this waiting feeling, like something amazing was about to happen, if he would only wait. He didn't know how much longer he could stand this feeling. It had already been three months, any longer and he was going to lose his mind. And his kids kind of needed him in one, sane piece if they were going to pass their SATs and get into decent colleges.

Kili sighed and drained what was left of his beer and looked up to snag the bartender's attention when he noticed someone new at the bar. It was a man with close cropped golden blond hair with a neatly trimmed goatee and a strong jaw. His hands were fine, long fingered, and filthy, like soot or dirt had been ground into the skin. Kili watched his lips curl around the glass, and wondered what they would feel like on his skin.

The itch under his skin turned into an ache, the expectation snapping and telling him that now, that this, was what he had been waiting for. He stood up and took his empty glass to the bar, standing next to the other man as he waited for the bartender. He could feel the other's eyes on him, the weight of his gaze, but he didn't turn and look. No. He waited. When the bartender, wearing the nametag of Nori, finally came over to pour him another draft as the man next to him cleared his throat.

"Hi," he said when Kili looked his way. "I'm Fili."

"Kili," he said with a nod of his head.

"Come here often?" Fili asked, sipping the dark liquid in his glass.

Kili took his glass from Nori with a smile of thanks. "Relatively often. You?"

"Just moved to the area a couple of months ago," Fili said. "Needed a drink and figured I'd try this place."

Kili sipped his beer, watching as Fili's very lovely blue eyes dropped to his mouth. He set his glass down and licked his lips. "It's a good place. Quiet. Local. Pretty decent prices on their beer and the harder stuff. No one asking any questions."

"The type of place where people leave you alone if you want, hunh?'

Kili picked his glass up and tilted his head toward his table in the dark back corner. Kili had always liked having a wall at his back and the table had a great view of the rest of the dive. It was one of his favorites, letting him people watch without any issue. No one would notice them where he was sitting. "Care to join me?" he asked.

"Love to," Fili said as he stood with his drink in hand.

Kili led his way to the table and sat down, his hands shaking slightly. It wasn't nerves or fear, it was pure adrenaline. Fili looked at him and gave a small smile.

"I'm completely shit at all this," Fili said with a strained laugh.

"At what?" Kili asked.

"Picking someone up at a bar," Fili said.

Kili smiled. "That makes two of us."

"Oh good, I hate being the only one out of their depth," Fili said. "So, Kili, tell me about yourself."

"Well, I'm a homicidal axe murderer," Kili said with a straight face.

Fili blinked at him for a moment before cracking up. Kili smiled, taking a sip of his beer as he took in the way the laughter transformed Fili from an attractive man into a gorgeous one. He was probably biased but he wanted nothing more than to take Fili back to his and see what he would look like in the midst of pleasure.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. I teach high school English," Kili said, smiling. "I've been told I have a horrible sense of humor."

"No, I love it," Fili said. "After all, how many openings in your life do you get where you can say that?"

"Not many," Kili admitted.

"So high school, hunh? That's got to be interesting," Fili said.

"Not that interesting, actually," Kili said. "Mostly it feels like beating your head against a brick wall. I do have a couple of students I'm fond of but the rest of them can take a long run off a short pier. How about you? What do you do?"

"I work at my friend's forge as a glassblower. I do other things with glass but mostly that," Fili said.

Kili nodded, taking another sip of his beer and looking at Fili's arms, which were nicely displayed by the light yellow Polo he was wearing. His arms were muscled, though thankfully not bulging, just muscled enough that Fili probably could easily carry him around with little effort. Kili's last boyfriend had been a firefighter; he had a thing for strong men with nice arms.

"I've never known a glassblower before," Kili said. He ran a finger over the rim of his glass. "Does that mean you're good at blowing things?"

Fili, having just taken a sip of his drink, promptly choked and flushed as he coughed. Kili strove to look as innocent as possible. The one good thing about teaching high school was that he had perfected the art of the blank face when he would have started laughing or stared in horror. His mentor during college had taught him how to do it, telling him that wearing his heart on his sleeve was all well and good but if he did that at school that the kids would eat him alive.

"I'm sorry, was that too forward?" Kili asked slyly, smiling at Fili's stunned look.

"Where have you been all my life?" Fili asked.

Kili smiled. "Well, it's a long story but it all started with the assault charges that got bumped up to attempted murder when I burned down this guy's house because he refused to give me soy milk for my morning chai tea latte. I mean, honestly, it wasn't you much to ask. I just wanted some soy milk, dammit. Then I was denied parole when they found a jar of salsa and a nail file under my bed. After that there was that incident with this guy called Bubba who liked to dress up like Sailor Moon and a bar of soap so they put me in solitary until they let me out last month."

"Come back to my place with me," Fili said immediately.

"That's a first for me," Kili said, reaching back and adjusting his ponytail. "Usually people start running in the other direction when I start referencing Mythbusters and cosplay."

"I could get you a shrubbery," Fili offered. "Nudge nudge, wink wink, if you know what I mean."

Kili arched an eyebrow and stood. "I'll be right back," he said. He walked to the bar and waved Nori down. "I'd like to close my tab for the night."

"Found what you were looking for, hunh?" Nori asked as he ran Kili's card and handed it and the receipt to him.

"Think so," Kili said as he signed his name and tucked his card into his back pocket. "See you later."

Nori waved as Kili went back for Fili, grabbing the other man by the elbow and tugging him out of the bar. Fili followed, bemused, as they grabbed their coats and left the bar.

"I wasn't done with my drink," he said.

"I live three streets that way," Kili said, pointing. "You?"

"Further than that the other way," Fili said.

Kili nodded and started leading Fili toward his place, his hand sliding down Fili's bare forearm to link their hands together. They crossed one street with no problem but had to wait at the crosswalk at the next one. Fili pulled Kili to him as they waited, hands going round his waist and pulling him in for a kiss. They weren't of an even height, Kili having a good couple of inches on Fili, but they fit together nicely. It wasn't an earth shattering kiss or even very passionate. It was really more like a chaste brush of lips against lips, heads tilting and noses barely brushing as they intuitively figured out the best angle.

The ache and itch under Kili's skin turned to sparks skittering across his nerves and he licked his lips, his tongue brushing against Fili's lips. Fili made an appreciative noise and pulled Kili in closer and opened his mouth to twine his tongue with Kili's. He groaned into the kiss, his fingers tightening around Fili's and he pulled away.

"No, not yet," he said, swallowing and trying to wet his suddenly dry mouth. "Or I'm going to pull you into an alley."

"Monty Python your secret weakness?" Fili asked, licking his lips.

"No, but I can more than appreciate a man who thought to counter Mythbusters with Monty Python," Kili said. "I plan to show you how much once we get back to mine."

Fili nodded and let go of Kili's waist. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Kili smirked and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets so he wouldn't be tempted to touch. "Where did you live before Boston?"  he asked.

"Chicago," Fili said. "It has a pretty nice artist community but I didn't have enough space to do what I wanted. Kind of put a crimp in a lot of plans."

"Boston doesn't have a lot of space either," Kili pointed out. "We're a lot smaller than Chicago."

"I've already got more here than I did there," Fili said honestly as he followed Kili down the last two blocks. "My friend's forge is a big plus, something I didn't have before. I mostly worked out of the local community glass forge. Here at least I help him out with some of his metal work and he gives me the space to work my own stuff. He also lends an extra pair of hands for some of my larger projects."

"You should show me some time," Kili said as they headed down a red bricked street that led to his apartment. "I'm a big fan of local artists."

“I’d love to,” Fili said, following Kili up the stairs of the building and inside. He let Kili fish his keys out of his jacket pocket and unlock the door before pushing him up against the closed door and kissing him.

Kili groaned in appreciation and slid his hands to Fili’s waist. The shorter man pushed his thigh between Kili’s legs as he licked his way inside his mouth. Kili gave back as good as he could get, sucking on Fili’s tongue and stroking it with his own, his hands pulling Fili’s shirt out of his jeans and sliding between skin and denim to palm the top of Fili’s firm ass. Fili broke the kiss to chuckle and nibble along Kili’s jaw.

“We should go inside,” Fili said against his skin.

Kili let his head fall back against the door and ground down against the firm thigh. “I’m good here,” he said, eyes falling closed as he kneaded the ass under his hands. “This is good.”

“You want me to fuck you against the door?” Fili asked, teeth grazing Kili’s earlobe. “Unless you got lube on you, teach, I think you’d rather be inside.”

Kili reluctantly let go of Fili’s ass and reached down to turn the doorknob, both of them losing their balance and stumbling as the door went flying open. Kili laughed, grabbing the doorjamb to keep them upright, which was quickly silenced as Fili pulled him in for a kiss as they tumbled into the apartment. Kili blindly grabbed at the door, far more interested in the way Fili’s hands were sliding up to pull his hair free of the elastic holding it back, finally grabbing the thick wood and slamming it closed. The hair tie snapped and Kili’s hair fell loose, gathered in Fili’s hand as he cupped the back of Kili’s head, kissing him forcefully.

“Oh god,” Kili groaned when they pulled away to suck in some much needed oxygen. Fili shucked his jacket and pushed Kili’s off as well. “I need you to fuck me.”

Fili laughed as Kili kissed him again, hands pulling off the Polo and tossing it somewhere in the hallway. “Someone’s desperate,” he said, nipping Kili’s lip. He drew the bit of flesh between his teeth, just the slightest bit of pressure and tugged gently before letting go. “You got lube and condoms in the hall?”

Kili ran his hands over Fili’s chest, admiring the muscles and the way they moved under his skin as Fili pulled Kili in closer. “Living room,” he said as the blond began sucking and biting along his neck. 

Kili tilted his head back, trying to think about the best way to get to his living room as well as giving Fili more room to explore. He gasped, eyes fluttering closed, as Fili dragged his teeth over Kili’s adam’s apple. His mind stuttered and blanked as he pulled away, dragging his black t-shirt up and over his head and tossing it to the side as he backed down the hall to the living room. Fili followed, his hands already undoing his belt and fly, eyes hungrily taking Kili in. Kili grinned, grabbing at one of his end tables and pulling open the drawer, the lube and strip of condoms still there as a left over from his last boyfriend.

Fili pressed up against Kili’s back, his erection pressing against Kili’s ass as those strong hands stroked over and down his chest to undo his belt and fly. “God you’re gorgeous,” he said in one, quick exhale. “I can’t wait to get you naked.”

Kili let his head fall forward, hair sliding over his shoulder, trying to breathe as Fili pushed his pants and underwear down and wrapped his hand around Kili’s hard cock. He had just enough sense to grab the tube of lube and the strip, as his knees weakened and he went down on them. Fili followed, grabbing the lube from his and pulling away just enough to push his own jeans and underwear out of the way before pressing back against Kili.

“How do you want it?” Fili asked, breath hot against Kili’s ear.

Kili groaned, leaning back against Fili. “Hard,” he said. “Make me scream.”

Fili swallowed audibly and nodded, dropping kisses along Kili’s neck and shoulder before he shifted back. Kili heard the snap of the lube’s top and kicked away his jeans and underwear before he moved forward, supporting himself on his hands and knees as Fili grabbed Kili’s ass and slid a slick finger inside him. Kili panted as Fili worked his finger in and out. It had been half a year since the firefighter and Kili was desperate for more. Fili could tell, adding the second finger quickly and working him open faster, fingers every now and then brushing over Kili’s prostate.

“C’mon,” Kili goaded. “Look how ready I am, how well I can take your fingers. Don’t you wanna put your dick in me?”

Fili paused as Kili heard his breath come harder. The fingers came out and Kili moaned softly, looking over his shoulder as he heard the rip of the condom. It was dark in the apartment but there was enough ambient light coming in through Kili’s windows that he could watch as Fili rolled the condom on and slicked himself.

“You think you can take me?” Fili asked, one hand tight on Kili’s hip as he pressed the head of his cock against his ass.

“Give it to me,” Kili said, his eyes meeting Fili’s. “Put that cock of yours inside me and make me scream.”

Fili leaned forward, kissing Kili as he pushed inside. Kili grunted into the kiss, feeling the burn of being forced open and loving it. Fili was thick and big and stretched him wide, the lube helping as he slowly sank inside of Kili. Fili breathed deep once he was fully seated, his hands gripping Kili’s hips tight enough to leave bruises. If Kili wasn’t sporting marks of this night enough to last a week or more he’d be very disappointed.

“Fuck, you’re so tight,” Fili said against Kili’s mouth.

“So make me loose,” Kili said, licking Fili’s lips. “Fuck me until I’m choking for more of you.”

Fili nipped his bottom lip, grinding against him. “You like talking dirty, don’t you? Let’s see how much talking you can do when I’m making you scream.”

Kili opened his mouth to respond as Fili pulled out and thrust back in, straightening so he had better leverage. The sharp thrust blanked Kili’s mind and he groaned in appreciation as Fili set a brutal pace, barely giving him time to breathe. Kili’s mouth hung open, gasping in air, eyes squeezed tight as Fili pounded into him. He grunted encouragement, trying to gather his words but couldn’t do more than wordless noises.

“Cat got your tongue?” Fili panted, his hips shifting against Kili as he changed the angle. His cock hit Kili’s prostate and Kili shouted in ecstasy.

“Yes, fuck, just like that,” Kili said, pushing back against Fili.

“Spread your legs wide for me, darling,” Fili said as he slowed his thrusts. “Gonna give you the ride of your life.”

“Is that a promise?” Kili asked, shakily moving his knees wider apart. “I might need it in writing.”

Fili leaned down, nibbling and biting along whatever he could reach of Kili’s spine as he snapped his hips forward hard enough to move Kili forward on the hardwood floor. Kili shouted, falling to his elbows, his hips still caught tight in Fili’s hands as the other man continued to fuck him. Kili encouraged him, demanding harder and faster, one hand moving to wrap around his cock and jack himself off in time to Fili’s thrusts. The pace and angle of his thrusts was tortuous, only brushing against Kili's prostate every third or forth stroke.

“Fuck, you like it like this? You like it with my body taking everything you got to give?” Kili managed, his breath coming harsher as he got closer to the edge.

“You have no idea,” Fili growled, his chest rumbling with it. “Tell me more, Kili, tell me how much you like this.”

“Love the way it sounds as you fuck me,” Kili said, choking back a whimper as he swiped his thumb over the head of his cock. He was close, leaking all over his hand, the ache and burn spreading from the base of his spine to his gut. “Want you to come, want to hear you scream my name.”

“I thought I was the one that was going to make you scream,” Fili said, letting go of Kili’s hip with one hand to wrap around Kili’s cock, their fingers sliding together as they stroked. “That’s what you wanted, right? Hard and fast and making you choke on it.”

“Fuck,” Kili whimpered, letting his head fall to the floor as he let go of his cock. Fili worked his length as if he knew everything about Kili, knowing exactly how hard to squeeze, how to rub under the head and swipe his thumb up, everything Kili had ever liked and everything he needed. “Fili, fuck, gonna--”

“C’mon, Kili, come for me,” Fili ordered as his angle changed again and his cock nailed Kili’s prostate with every thrust. “Take everything I’ve got and scream for me.”

Fili’s tone, the firm order behind his words, was the last straw. Kili came with a scream, muscles clenching tight, cock pulsing in Fili's firm grip, as he slumped limp against the floor, knees barely holding him up. Fili groaned his praise as he thrust twice more inside Kili before coming with a shout, Kili's name on his lips.

Kili tried to catch his breath as Fili pulled him up, rocking back on his hips to support them both. Fili nuzzled him lazily, hand brushing over his stomach. 

"Perfect," Fili declared.

Kili laughed tiredly. "Not even close," he said.

"I look forward to finding out," Fili said.

Kili hummed softly in agreement as Fili nudged him up with his thighs. Kili licked his lips and reached back, one hand wrapping around the base of Fili's cock and the condom as he lifted himself off. He turned, sprawling against the floor and watched as Fili pulled the condom off before chucking it in the nearby trash.

"You hungry?" Kili asked as Fili finally rid himself of his jeans and underwear. 

"I could eat," Fili said. 

Kili nodded, stretching his arms to pull open the drawer of his coffee table and snagged a Chinese take away menu. Fili came closer, covering Kili's body with his own, kissing him lazily before taking the menu.

"It's still pretty early," Fili said. "Only eleven."

"It's a school night but I could be convinced to let you stay over."

"I can cook a mean omelette," Fili said as he looked around for a light. He found one and turned it on. "And I'm thinking we'll probably have some time before the food arrives."

"I've got a great gaming system," Kili said with a languid stretch. "Katamari Damaci or Soul Caliber. I might even have Tekken around here somewhere, or Call of Duty."

"I was thiking maybe you should show me your bedroom," Fili said with a smile. His hand drifted over Kili's left hip, tracing the black ink of the raven's out stretched wing. "Nice tattoo," he said as his fingers mapped the shape and feel of it on Kili's skin. He looked hypnotized, fingers slowing and tracing a different shape on Kili's hip. He frowned, pulling his hand away.

Kili reached up and pulled Fili down to him, kissing him lazily. "Food and I can show you my bed. It's a lot more comfortable than the floor."

"Sounds like a very excellent plan," Fili said, smiling as he kissed Kili. Kili let his fingers run through Fili's short hair, eyes closing in contentment as the itch and expectation faded into nothingness. This was what he had been waiting for, what he had needed. This man, between his legs, in his life, and there was nothing more Kili could possibly want.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a little slower paced than the other one, if only because I'm starting to give a bit of back story. But, you do have plenty of Fili and Kili flirting, and a tiiiiiiny bit of foreshadowing. There is a bonus pairing too! 
> 
> I do post random things relating to the story/project/whatever this is on tumblr. I'm jynxwrites there. Feel free to ask questions or just hang around for some morning coffee tidbits (because honestly, what's a better way to start your morning than with insane little fic bits?).

Dwalin was already hard at work by the time Fili got there. He held out the large black coffee as he sipped his own, waiting for the older man to take a break from pounding the wings of the dragon figurine into the proper shape.

It had been a good morning by all accounts. He and Kili had been late to sleep, having gone another two rounds (one before and one after the Chinese), and Kili's alarm had gone off almost obscenely early. There had been time, barely, for a quick round that morning before rushed showers and hastily eaten omelettes. He had Kili's number, and the other man had his, and there were vague plans for the weekend. Of course, there were two more days to get through but it shouldn't be that hard. Hopefully. 

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Dwalin asked as he set the wings to cool in the cold water. He took the coffee from Fili, taking the lid off and taking a big sip of the practically moltenly hot beverage.

Fili winced and smiled. "I had a good night."

"You got laid," Dwalin snorted.

"Many times," he said cheerfully. "In many places and many positions."

“Sounds like a good one night stand,” Dwalin said as he took another sip. “Don’t tell me you picked him up at Nori’s bar. The people down there aren’t the best sort.”

“Not this one,” Fili said. “He’s a teacher and an archery coach. You’d like him.”

“You’re seeing him again?” the older man asked, arching a scarred eyebrow. “What happened to the not doing relationships? Isn’t that one of the reasons you left Chicago in the first place?”

Fili scowled, hand tightening on his coffee cup. “Leave it alone. This isn’t like the last time.”

“How can you be so sure?” Dwalin asked, setting his coffee down and crossing his arms over his massive chest. “You’re not the best judge of character, Fili. You like to think the best of people.”

“This is different,” Fili insisted, hiding behind his coffee cup as he took a couple of long swallows. “It feels different. You won’t understand. It feels like, like part of me that I never knew was missing suddenly is there again. I know him--”

“Oh, of course you know him. In the Biblical sense, I’m sure,” Dwalin said.

“It’s not like that,” Fili said. “It’s not.”

Dwalin shook his head and turned away to fish the dragon’s wings out of the cold water barrel. “The vendor says he’s going to want some glass dragons too. He’s hitting up some fantasy convention and thinks they’ll sell like hotcakes. Think you can manage a couple of them?”

“Does he want them fancy or involved?” Fili asked, heading over to his drafting table and setting his coffee down with shaking hands. 

What Dwalin had said had unnerved him. They’d been friends a long time, Dwalin having seen Fili at some of his lowest points, and the older man’s opinion mattered a great deal to him, but not enough to throw away this feeling of completeness. He fished out his cell phone and dropped it on the desk and pulled his sketchbook in toward him.

“I’m going with some pretty basic shapes,” Dwalin said, coming over with his own sketches. “This one is rearing with wings spread for balance, this one with a paw raised, this is going to be two twined around each other, and this one is going to have it’s mouth open like it’s going to burn down a village.”

Fili smiled a little, looking over Dwalin’s art as the other pointed out the details of the hastily sketched rough shapes. “Okay, so pretty simplistic. I’ll see if I can’t come up with some to compliment yours.”

“We’ve got a month to get everything finished. Sound fair?” Dwalin asked.

Fili nodded. “More than. Let me see what I’ve got in terms of supplies. A few colored ones would look good, I imagine.”

Dwalin nodded and left Fili alone to sketch. Only Fili wasn’t getting much work done. His pencil was moving but it was the lines of Kili’s tattoo that he was drawing, the Nordic stylized raven. Fili hesitated, setting his pencil down and reaching for his cooling coffee. He had it way bad. He remembered the way he had felt when he saw the tattoo, that it wasn’t what he was expecting, that it was somehow wrong on Kili’s skin. He had traced something on that naked skin, a different sort of shape that deserved to be etched permanently under his skin. Fili picked up his pencil, sipping at his coffee, as he etched out the shape.

Once he had started, though, he couldn’t stop, and he continued sketching the design over and over until it filled the entire page. He didn’t know what it was, though it looked like a sigil, etched with runes that he had never seen before, but it called to him. There was power in the design. He could not stop drawing it, flipping to a new page and sketching it out larger and firmer until it was all he could see. 

“Fili,” Dwalin said, grabbing Fili’s shoulder and pulling him away from his table. The coffee spilled on the both of them and Fili swore, jerking out of Dwalin’s hold and dropping his pencil. He pulled at his destroyed shirt and looked at Dwalin, frowning. He was about to ask what he wanted but stopped when he saw Dwalin pick up his sketchbook. The older man was tracing over the sketches with a shaking finger.

“Dwalin?” Fili asked, tugging his shirt up and off. There wasn’t much he could do about his jeans but he did keep a change of clothes in case of accidents at the forge.

“Tell me about your one night stand,” Dwalin said as he set the sketchbook down.

“He’s not a one night stand,” Fili said with a roll of his eyes. He went over to the lockers Dwalin had put in and pulled out a new shirt. “His name’s Kili, he’s about two years younger than me, and teaches high school English. He almost went to the Olympics on archery but he said that he had to make a choice and that wasn’t the life he wanted. He lives a couple blocks from Nori’s bar.” Fili tugged the new shirt over his head and ran his hand through his hair. “He’s about three inches taller than me, brown eyes, brown hair past his shoulders, and he has a fantastic sense of humor.” Fili couldn’t help the smile that twitched its way across his lips. “He told me he was an axe murderer when I first hit on him and then referenced the Mythbusters.”

Dwalin nodded slowly. “You’re serious about him.”

“I already said I was,” Fili said.

“You should bring him round some time,” Dwalin said as he set Fili’s sketchbook down on the drafting table. “I’d love to meet him.”

Fili nodded. “Of course. You’ll love him. There’s just something...compelling about him.”

Dwalin grunted and retreated to his side of the forge. “I’ll be right back. Need to make a call.”

Fili nodded and looked around for a handy towel to clean up the coffee mess. 

:::

“Holy crap, what happened to your neck?” Bard asked Kili at lunch. 

They were the two faculty members who had pulled lunch monitoring duty that week which wasn’t as horrible as it could be since they both coached the varsity archery team. Usually they spent the time talking strategy and taking apart the competition but sometimes there was gossip. Today, it seemed, was a gossip day.

“It’s not that bad,” Kili said, tugging at the collar of his Oxford shirt.

“I know bite marks when I see them,” Bard said with a sly grin. “Way to go, Durn. You got laid.”

Kili groaned, hiding his face in his hands. “My sophmore class kept asking questions about my ‘girlfriend.’”

“Your senior honors class is going to eat you with a side of fava beans,” Bard said. “Didn’t you notice them this morning when you were getting dressed? You should have pulled on a turtleneck or something.”

Kili glanced at him between his fingers. “Uhm. He was still there this morning?”

Bard arched a brow. “Really?” Kili let his hands drop to his sides and nodded. “Well, good for you. You’re always a lot less annoying when you’re getting some.”

Kili rolled his eyes. “Gee, thanks, Bard. You’re a real pal.”

“I’d ask if you like him but I can tell from the way you’re all marked up and grinning that you definitely do,” Bard said. “Does that mean you want me to play bad cop today at practice?”

Kili hesitated. “You don’t have to.”

“You’re far too languid right now,” Bard said. “Your aim is probably a lot better, though.”

“Great,” Kili said with a sigh. “Just what we need. Kids putting two and two together and using it as an excuse to fool around before matches.”

“So long as they don’t drink and come in shooting with hangovers who cares?” Bard asked.

Kili was about to tell Bard off when his phone cheerfully informed him he had a text message. Bard snorted at the notification alert as Kili pulled it out and opened it.

//cant get you out of my head. is it the weekend yet?//

Kili bit his lip with a smile and tapped out a quick reply. //unfortunately no//

“Oh god,” Bard said. “I’m going to go stand on the other side of the room. Have fun with the texting, try to keep it clean.”

Kili slid his phone in his back pocket. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m still traumatized from you texting me by accident,” Bard said. “I did not need to know that much about your sex life.”

Kili chuckled as his phone went off again.

“And change your damned ringtone,” Bard said. “Last thing we need is for your students to go around calling you Boss.”

Kili stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I rather like the idea of being called Boss.”

“You are such a Bostonian,” Bard said as he walked away.

Kili chuckled and took his phone out to read the new text.

//this day keeps dragging by//

Kili tapped the edge of his phone and sent back //i could try and help speed it up//. He didn’t have long to wait before Fili had sent back a reply. Kili glanced up at the clock, mentally adding up how much free time he had. He opened the text and grinned.

//be my guest//

Kili thought for a moment, keeping an eye on one particular table as two different cliques started making noise at each other, before typing his reply. //everyone’s been asking about the vampire i met last night//

“Hey, Mr D,” Heather, one of his honors English students, greeted, smiling at him. She twirled a curl of red hair around a finger, hips cocked forward. “We’re going to be going over that whole nunnery scene with Ophelia today, right?”

Kili looked up from his phone to smile at her. Heather was trouble, always trying to flirt with him. He was very carefully trying not encourage her, ignoring all attempts; the way her eyes zeroed in on the bite mark and her smile faltered was probably the best thing he could ever have done. “Actually, Heather, I’ve got a movie we’re gonna watch instead.”

“Oh?” Heather looked a little deflated, her hand dropping from her hair.

“Excuse me, Boss, but you have a text message,” Kili’s phone chirped. Heather stifled a laugh and waved as she sauntered back to her friends. Kili looked down at the text with a smile.

//im hardly a vampire. i just like the way you taste//

//my legs miss you between them// Kili sent back with a wide smile.

“I know that look,” Bard said. “That’s the look of someone who’s not keeping it clean.”

“He’s bored, I’m bored, figured I’d spice it up,” Kili said. “Hey, you still have that Tom Stoppard movie, right?”

“You’re going to keep texting him, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” Kili said. “It’ll also be good for the kids. It’s Thursday, the week’s almost over, just today and tomorrow to go, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to have them stew in their juices for another long class block.”

“You don’t want to have to deal with them for an additional ninety minutes without having to text your new guy,” Bard said.

“The day’s almost over,” Kili said as his phone went off. Bard rolled his eyes. “I’m thinking we’ll be in the gym for practice today. Couple of laps and then some weight lifting.”

“You want to text,” Bard said.

“More than anything else,” Kili said as he flicked his screen on. //do they? tell me more.// “Well, I’d rather something else but texting will have to do for the moment.”

“When’re you seeing him again?” Bard asked. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to resist gagging around you if it’s not soon.”

Kili tapped out a quick reply. “Not until the weekend.” //ive been thinking about you all day. hasnt been innocent//

Bard snorted. “Why don’t I take over practice today and you go pay a booty call.”

Kili laughed. “Why. Bard, I could never. That would be the height of irresponsible.”

//sore?// asked the next text.

“You’re twenty-six,” Bard said. “You haven’t gotten laid in over six months. At this point I’m pretty positive more than half the faculty would willingly sign up to deal with your students so you could continue to get laid.”

Kili put his phone in back pocket without responding, frowning at Bard as the lunch bell rang. “I haven’t been that bad.”

“Yes, you--oy! Thorin, weigh in on this for me,” Bard called as the principal entered the cafeteria to grab a cup of coffee.

Kili groaned, a hand coming up to cover his face. This was going to be great. Thorin Oakley was a tall man, taller than Kili and that was impressive, and very attractive. His hair was just long enough to be stylish and his beard was short and well trimmed. Three years ago when Kili had first been hired, before he realized that Thorin was his new boss, he’d made a pass at the man. Thorin worked out, his arms nicely muscled as were his legs, and his ass was a thing of beauty (though Kili was of the opinion, currently, that Fili’s was better). Thorin had given him a look, those blue eyes piercing him, and flatly rejected him. They had a tense, complicated relationship since, though entirely professional.

It had been Thorin, after knowing Kili some months, who had suggested they start up the archery club again. The man had gone to bat for Kili, dealing with the increased insurance coverage and the shrinking school budget with poise until everyone had been satisfied and Kili had permission to have a team. There’d been more than enough interest from the students, all of whom had been willing to bust their asses for equipment that would never be theirs, no matter how much money they raised and donated, all for the sake of a dream. Thorin had been at every one of the team’s fundraisers, and Kili was pretty sure that a lot of the large anonymous donations were from him, but the man never smiled at him. There was no praise or positive comment on anything Kili had done, but neither were there negative remarks. 

In short, Kili was absolutely baffled by the man.

And now Bard was asking him to comment on Kili’s sex life. Where was a convenient hole when you needed one to swallow you up?

“Durn, Lakes, what can I help you with?” Thorin asked, his large hands sliding into his pockets.

“Kili here got laid last night,” Bard said.

“So I noticed,” Thorin said. 

Kili looked at him, hand falling from his face in shock. What?

“See?” Bard said, elbowing Kili in the ribs. “Even Thorin noticed you got laid. And doesn’t he seem to be so much better off for it?”

Kili was staring. He knew he was staring. Bard was grinning and even Thorin’s lips were twitching upwards slightly. “How?” he asked, stunned.

“Aside from the marks?” Thorin said with a vague gesture at Kili’s throat. “You’re smiling more and moving looser. It seems to have done you a world of good.”

“Great, I’m completely obvious to everyone,” Kili said with a sigh. He wasn’t going to even acknowledge that his boss had said that sex was good for him. Nope. Not thinking about it. He hesitated. “Wait. Am I that obvious to the kids? Beyond the obvious of the marks.”

“Probably,” Bard said with a grin. 

“And you were going to let me walk into my senior honors class?” Kili asked, arms crossed.

“I told you they were going to eat you with a side of fava beans,” Bard said with a smug look. “Besides, you were going to put a movie on for them. That’ll stall most of the questions.”

“You don’t know my class,” Kili said.

Thorin shook his head. “Keep the movie clean so I don’t have pissed off parents and you can do what you like. If you’ll excuse me.” He nodded to both Bard and Kili before walking toward the cafe area and getting himself a cup of coffee.

“I’m hoping that throwing a mostly naked Gary Oldman at them will stop the questions enough to let me get out in one piece,” Kili said.

“What color is the sky in your world?” Bard asked. “Your sophomores grilled you. Our principal noticed. Hell, I think the lunch ladies have noticed.”

Kili pulled his ponytail loose, finger combing the long strands back into a messy bun with most of it escaping into a normal ponytail. “I hate you all. No one will dictate my sex life based on everyone knowing when I get laid.”

“Just get laid often enough that no one notices it’s happening,” Bard said, clapping Kili on the shoulder. “And don’t ever accidentally text me again or I will send it in a mass text to the entire faculty. If it’s raunchy enough, I will send it to the archery team too.”

“Sadist,” Kili hissed.

“Exactly,” Bard said. “Let me go get that movie for you.” He left at a jog, students automatically making room for him as he passed.

Kili sighed, pulling his phone out and putting it on silence before heading back to his room. Some of his students were already waiting for him to unlock the room and he shook his head, opening the door and letting the teenagers in to stake out their seats. One of these days he would force a seat chart on them but not now. Maybe next year. He looked at the text as his laptop woke up and tapped the side of his screen, trying to think of a good response.

//not really, you’ll have to try harder next time// he typed out, hesitating before deleting all of it. He wasn’t sore, but he felt well-fucked. He wanted to encourage Fili to screw him senseless again sometime very soon. He started typing again as the rest of his class trickled in. //not sore but i can still feel you. v distracting//

He set the phone down and connected wirelessly to the projector system that was in every classroom. Kili knew that not all schools were as well off as his, especially not in Boston, but Thorin had put a lot of money into their school. It was one tiny blessing for being a private school; they had the ability to supplement and focus on the more important aspects of education--like actually teaching. He went to the front of the room and yanked down the white screen and waited for the kids to settle into their seats.

“Okay,” Kili said once everyone had been seated. “Today we’re going to take a bit of a break from discussing Hamlet. Instead, we’re going to watch a movie.”

“Which Hamlet movie are we watching?” Jenna asked, one of the more dramatic students. “Can we not watch the Mel Gibson one? It’s not that great, really.”

Kili grinned. “We are going to watch Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.” He was met by blank stares and he sighed, feeling defeated. “Right, so, this isn’t just an excuse for you guys to slack off and sleep through last period. I want a two page paper, double spaced, Times New Roman font, size twelve, one inch margins with the standard header, due tomorrow. If I catch you slacking during the movie then you add another page.”

“What’s the topic?” Heather asked as everyone in the class groaned and dug out their notebooks and pens.

“I want the focus on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Compare what you see in the movie with what you’ve read in the play and form an opinion on why they’re so important.” Kili walked over to the door and stuck his head out, waving as Bard came around the corner and handed him the DVD.

“Is this so we don’t ask about your new girlfriend?” Jeffrey asked from the front row.

Kili shut the door a little louder than he had intended, turning to look suspiciously at his students. All twenty of them leaned forward, watching him eagerly. He smacked the lights off and went over to his desk, opening the DVD tray of his computer and popping the disc in.

“Remember, you slack off and you get an extra page each time. If I see a cell phone I’m going to confiscate it for the rest of the week,” Kili said as he sat. His phone was lit up, telling him he had a waiting text. The computer was humming slightly as it read the disc.

“So, you have a girlfriend,” one of the other boys chimed. “What’s her name?”

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Kili said, watching as the projector displayed his desktop and the loading DVD program. He plugged in the speakers he had on his desk and turned the sound up.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” one of his quieter students asked boldly.

Kili looked over at her, trying not to smile. “No.”

“Oh,” the girl slid down in her seat.

“I’m not dating anyone yet,” Kili said. He pressed play once the root menu had loaded and picked up his phone. “Now, don’t forget to take notes and pay attention.”

//did i mention sat was too far away? cuz it is//

Kili smiled and leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up on his desk and watching his kids out of the corner of his eye. //ive been ordered to see if youre up for a booty call//

//have you now? by who//

//coworkers. apparently they are all very thankful.//

//well then. i think i could be bribed//

//i have to bribe you?//

//im not that easy//

Kili frowned, looking down at the text and then looked up. “Tony, thank you for adding an extra page to your essay. I look forward to your insights.” Kili switched apps, bringing up Evernote and making a note of Tony’s name with a +1. Tony groaned and turned around from where he was trying to chat up the girl behind him.

//so i have to convince you?//

//plz//

Kili bit his lip, looking out over the class as he thought. //i used to date a cop//

//thats not convincing me//

Kili smirked at his phone and tapped his response out quickly, trying very hard not to cackle. //handcuffs.//

“Who’re you texting?” Heather asked.

“I thought you said you didn’t have a girlfriend,” Jenna said accusingly.

“Good to know Tony’s got some good company,” Kili said, adding Jenna and Heather to the +1 list. He looked up to see all his students glaring at him. “Oh for the... I’m not dating anyone just yet. We met last night. We’re playing the get to know you game.”

“What’s her name?” Jeffrey asked.

Kili hit pause, letting his phone drop to his desk. “None of you are going to watch the movie until I answer something, are you?” There were head shakes and grins throughout the room. Kili sighed. “His name is Fili. He’s very nice. I met him last night. We’re not dating yet but hopefully we will. Now, watch the movie and pay attention because if I have to pause it one more time I’m going to demand a five to eight page research paper from all of you on Hamlet with no online sources allowed.”

Everyone promptly faced forward with fascinated expressions on their faces as they stared at the frozen screen. Kili snorted and hit play, picking his phone up.

//you like being tied up//

//i have a very long list of kinks ;)// Kili sent.

//list em//

Kili arched an eyebrow. //thats cheating.//

“Jack, you have an extra page as well,” Kili said, adding his name to the list. “Now put that iPod away or I will make it two pages.”

//its not cheating its reconnaissance//

Kili snorted softly, three of his students turning to look at him and then quickly looking back at the movie. He grinned and noted their names down as needing extra points on the next test for being awesome and keeping their traps shut. 

//cheating. youve been very naughty. maybe i should teach you a lesson//

//should i bring you an apple?//

//bribery doesnt work on me//

//how about a ruler//

//only if you want me to spank you with it//

Kili bit his lip. The next text coming in was a picture message. He hesitated before opening, making sure there were no innocent eyes looking his way. Once the picture loaded he clapped a hand over his mouth quickly to try to stifle his laugh. Fili had sent him a picture of his denim clad lap with a hefty erection stretching through the thick cloth. Oh, so he wanted to play that game? Kili opened his camera app, making sure the shutter sound and flash were off and took a picture of his class, all of whom were trying very hard not to look at him. He sent it back with a >| face, doing his best to disapprove of such measures while at work.

//you started it// Fili sent back.

//detention. see me after school.// Kili said.

//address//

Kili glanced at the clock and squirmed slightly in his seat. God, he wanted so badly right now. He sent Fili the school’s address and put his phone down. He needed to concentrate on his class, not on making it through the next hour with the promise of sex. Maybe, if Fili was very good, there would be handcuffs involved.

:::

Dwalin was just finishing up his second dragon figurine, the dragon rearing back with his wings spread wide for balance, when Thorin came in. The tall man had a bag of take away in his hand that smelled divine and a smile on his lips.

"C'mon, Dwalin, you need a dinner break," Thorin said. "Greek. I even have a six pack of beer in my truck."

Dwalin chuckled and left the dragon alone. "I find it very entertaining that you're the one telling me to stop working."

"It's seven and someone asked me to stop by with dinner, if I recall correctly." Thorin had placed the food bag on a clean spot of Dwalin's drafting table and was waiting with his hands in his pockets, Oxford shirt crisp and perfectly lined with the sleeves rolled up to Thorin's elbows. His tie was hanging loose around his neck, almost like an invitation. 

Dwalin crooked a finger at Thorin, beckoning him closer. He rolled his eyes and came forward, his hands holding Dwalin's wrists so he wouldn't muss Thorin's clean shirt, and leaned in to kiss him. Dwalin chuckled against Thorin's lips.

"Dick," he said affectionately. "Let me clean up a little?"

Thorin let him go with another kiss, wandering around the forge as Dwalin walked over to the big sink and started scrubbing his hands and forearms clean. Thorin had stopped in front of Fili's drafting table and picked up one of the pages scattered across the surface. He was frowning, tracing the similar with a delicate finger. Dwalin watched him, heart in his throat.

Did Thorin remember too?

"These are...unique," Thorin said.

"Fili, the kid I’m working with, did them," Dwalin said as he shut the water off and dried his hands on a towel. "He got stuck on the image and hasn't stopped drawing it since."

"He should etch it onto some metal or make a pendant of it," Thorin said, setting the pages down carefully.

"Fili works mostly with glass but I might make it for him," Dwalin said. 

He would, he realized, and he'd make Kili's for him as well. He had never expected the princes to be able to find each other, not in this life. He should have known better. Nothing could stop two halves of one soul from finding the other. They didn’t remember, none of the others Dwalin had met had, but it was still nice to see Fili happy. The kid needed the happiness. He just hoped that they could be left alone to enjoy their happiness in this world.

“Would you rather eat out back or in here?” Thorin asked. 

“Wherever the beer is,” Dwalin said, grabbing the bag and following Thorin out to his truck.

“You haven’t changed a bit,” Thorin said with a shake of his head. He opened the cab of his truck and grabbed the beer as Dwalin flipped the tailgate down and sat on the bed.

“I left for six years,” Dwalin said. “It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Thorin handed him a beer. “You left without saying a word and then you pop back up a couple months ago, acting like nothing’s changed.”

“I thought you didn’t want to talk about it,” Dwalin said.

“I don’t,” Thorin said in annoyance, taking a sip of his own beer. “Forget about it. It’s nothing. Hand me my gyro?”

Dwalin handed Thorin his food and they ate in silence. He would love to explain himself to Thorin, he really would. He had tried in the past, once when he had left the first time and once when he had come back. He left because he remembered. 

Before they had been together, two childhood friends who had made it through life with each other at their backs. They had gone their separate ways during college, Dwalin to MassArt and Thorin to UMass Amherst, but they were close enough that they would usually get wasted during the weekends together. They eventually ended up dating, then sleeping together, then living together. Dwalin had a successful career going with his art and Thorin was working his way through the Boston public school system. Everything had been perfect until he woke up one morning and remembered everything.

He remembered his brother Balin, he remembered the quest, and Middle Earth, and Smaug. He remembered the War of the Ring, and Biblo, and everything that went along with it. He remembered the Battle of Five Armies with his princes dying, he remembered Thorin. Above all he remembered Thorin.

His head had felt so full, so confused, and tried to talked to Thorin about it but was unable to. Every time he tried his voice vanished. His jaw would close of it’s own accord or he’d start coughing harshly until he couldn’t speak at all. He didn’t know what was going on, just that something--or someone--did not want him talking about the past. He’d left two days later, needing to get his head on straight.

He had moved to California and started over again. He met Nori, laughing to himself about the suddenly honest thief, and they started an unlikely friendship. Nori didn’t remember either, nor did he have his brothers. A year later, Nori was moving to Boston to help an ailing friend with huis bar. Dwalin left, moving to Chicago and he met Fili. Fili, with all his troubles and the lost expression of someone who was missing something he didn’t even know, and his art. The art Fili made was painful, yearning, distressing, until Dwalin put metal in his hands and showed him how to work a forge.

And then Fili began working glass and he made miracles. Dwalin helped him, working with him, until he had to leave. Fili had kept in touch, latching onto Dwalin as a rock in the maelstrom of his life, and Dwalin had done what he could for his prince. Dwalin had moved to New Orleans, spending time doing nothing but getting drunk and getting his head on straight. He’d gone to Texas and Nevada, Maryland and North Carolina before he moved back to Boston when he couldn’t run anymore.

He set himself up with a forge and started his business up again. He went to Nori’s and drank, catching up on life with his friend. Fili had called, half out of his mind on something, and Dwalin had told him to come to Boston and work with him. Fili had hedged and given in, showing up three months ago. Dwalin had run into Thorin two months ago. It had been awkward, but they had fallen into old habits and old patterns. Thorin didn’t ask why Dwalin had left and Dwalin couldn’t tell him anyway. 

But the way Thorin looked at Fili’s sketch...maybe he wasn’t the only one who remembered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not totally happy with this chapter but I was informed that it was still good and that all these things had to happen. So, have a bunch of....stuff. Meddling friends, annoying memories, maybe a couple of hints of things to come.
> 
> Also, I know it's a bit weird, but I live in Boston. If everyone could just give a moment of silence for the victims of the bombing I would be insanely thankful. My city is strong and full of amazing people. Yes, I know these types of things happen everywhere in the world and it might seem silly, but what happened is still a terrible tragedy. Just a moment is all I ask. 3 people died (including an 8 year old boy) and 178 are injured, many of them having both legs amputated. There are people who will never recover from the events of the Marathon. Thank you.

“What are you doing with that sharpie?” Kili asked, stretching out on his back.

Fili grinned and pushed Kili onto his side, the cap of the sharpie held firmly between his teeth as he started drawing on Kili’s hip. Kili smiled, nuzzling into his pillow and letting Fili do as he wanted. The feel of the marker against his skin was distracting but he didn’t mind. He was far too boneless to care what was happening right then.

“We should really find something to eat,” Fili said. He capped the marker and tossed it away and leaned down to kiss his way along Kili’s torso.

Kili smiled and turned, pulling Fili in for a lazy kiss. “Food is overrated,” he said. Fili laughed and Kili sat up, twisting to look at Fili’s drawing. Kili frowned, his fingers hesitating before tracing the mark slowly. It was odd. The mark looked like it belonged there, on his skin. Maybe it was the wrong hip, but it deserved to be there. It had a twin, that drawing, it had a mate, something that belonged on someone else’s hip. It was there, teasing at the edge of his mind, calling to him.

“Do you like it?” Fili asked.

Kili leaned in, kissing him again, as the thought slipped away. “Love it.”

“You have something other than Chinese around here?” Fili asked, his hand lingering on Kili’s freshly markered hip.

“I’ll have you know I can cook,” Kili said, trying to look stern. It didn’t work with his kids and it didn’t seem to work on Fili either. “I can,” he said as Fili chuckled. “I just currently have an empty fridge which doesn’t accomplish anything.”

“So, what’s good around here?” Fili asked, kissing along Kili’s shoulder to his neck.

“Mm, there’s a deli on the corner that’s really good,” Kili said, tipping his head to the side for Fili to have more room to work with.

“Sounds like a very excellent plan.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Kili asked, moaning softly as Fili’s teeth scraped over the juncture of his neck and shoulder. Fili hummed an agreement, his hands sliding over Kili’s chest, blunt nails making Kili shiver. “Crap, no, no,” Kili said, pushing Fili away with some regret. “Food. Then sex.”

Fili let himself be pushed away, arching a brow down at Kili. “Really?”

Kili kissed him and got out of bed. “Feed me and you can use the handcuffs,” he said with a wink.

Fili got out of the bed quickly, pulling Kili against him and kissing him. “You’re an evil tease.”

“It’s only teasing if I have no plan to follow through,” Kili said, nipping Fili’s lip. “C’mon, clothing, food.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Fili laughed as he let go of Kili to find his pants.

:::

“They’re starting to come together?”

“Yes, master.”

“All the Durins in one place, now that’s tempting.”

“Should we continue to wait for the others?”

“I need to think on this. Leave.”

“Yes, master. Should I still book the tickets?”

“Get me a roundtrip from Chicago to Boston. I want to watch them. Then I’ll decide.”

“Yes, master.”

“Why are you still here? I said leave.”

:::

"I'm thinking of making the drawing into a tattoo. Get it done on my other hip."

"You're crazy," Bard said.

Kili pulled back on the bowstring, sighting the target and letting go of the arrow. "You've known me how long and you're only just figuring it out?" The arrow buried itself just outside the bullseye.

"You've known this guy for two weeks," Bard said. "Tattoos are forever, you and relationships are not. Do I need to remind you that the longest relationship you ever had was for three months? You don't do commitment."

"It feels right," Kili said. "It never did before but with him...it just does."

"Two weeks!"

"Would you be happier if I waited for a month?" Kili asked, waiting for Bard to take his shot.

"I want you to introduce him to your sister," Bard said. "Milena's got a good head on her shoulders. You've also never let her meet any of your boyfriends." Bard brought his bow up after nocking his arrow and pulled back on the bowstring before releasing it. It struck the target close to Kili's arrow.

“Milena hates everyone I date. She once locked the girl I took to prom in the laundry room for three hours. My first boyfriend? She deliberately made food to give him the runs. My sister is a vindictive harpy." Kili said. "I'm not going to subject Fili to that."

"Which is why you should have them meet," Bard said. "If she likes him then you know you're good."

"You haven't even met him yet," Kili protested. “Why should Milena be the first? Don’t you want to vet Fili?”

"Are you going to shoot or bitch?" Bard asked.

Kili rolled his eyes and pulled an arrow out of the quiver by his hip, nocked, sighted and shot in thirty seconds. The arrow lodged itself deep in the center of the target. The kids on the team cheered and clapped, all very impressed whenever Kili showed off for them. Bard just shook his head.

"Fine, why don't you and me and him and my girl go grab burgers?" Bard said. "And then you can introduce him to your sister and brother-in-law. If he's as perfect as you say you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Oh, if those aren't famous last words," Kili muttered as he went over to help one of the pairs with their stance. “Nothing to worry about. Of course not. What could I possibly have to worry about?”

:::

Fili stepped back, looking at the dragon figures he had made. Each one was done in a different type of glass. He had managed a serpentine one with a glass orb as well as a trio of three baby dragons in the familiar hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil pose. There was also one like Dwalin’s, wings unfurled for balance as it spewed fire at a city carved into a mountain. That one had been the hardest. He wasn’t the best at carving resin but he had felt the need to make it. He wanted the little mountain city there with the dragon attacking it.

“These are good,” Dwalin said as he clapped Fili’s shoulder from behind, startling him. “I didn’t know you carved.”

Fili shrugged. “I don’t. It’s usually more trouble than its worth.”

“You’re good at it,” Dwalin said, picking the figurine--no, statue--up carefully. “This is very impressive, Fili.” His fingers carefully traced the city Fili had carved. “Where’d you get the idea?”

Fili shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “A dream. Well, it wasn’t exactly a dream, more like a nightmare, but I don’t know. Maybe it was from a movie or something, a dragon laying waste to a city like that. All these dragon figurines are getting to me.” He tried to grin at Dwalin but it faltered when he saw the older man frowning as he continued to look at the miniscule details Fili had put in. “Is something wrong?”

Dwalin shook his head and set the statue down. “No. It’s amazing is all.” Dwalin smiled at Fili and nodded. “You’ve come a long way, kid. It’s good.”

Fili smiled happily. “It is, isn’t it? It just...you know when you have a piece and you just have to do it? You have to make it or, or, I don’t know. It just needs to be made. It won’t leave you alone until it’s been made into real life?”

Dwalin nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “You’re having a lot of those lately.”

Fili shrugged. “I like it. Sometimes my mind will go blank for months and everything I make is crap. It has no soul or love or anything, it’s just a lump of glass in a form that will sell. There’s nothing that speaks to anyone. They still sell because glass plates and cups and little trinkets are still things of beauty, but they’re meaningless to me. But lately it’s like my hands and body can’t keep up with my mind. I’m too full of ideas and lo...” Fili stopped, eyes widening before he shook his head. “Never mind.”

Dwalin cleared his throat. “You really like this guy you’re seeing.”

Fili shrugged and walked over to his drafting table, going through his sketches for the next dragon he wanted to make. “He’s okay.”

“Just because bad things happened in the past doesn’t mean they’re going to happen again,” Dwalin said. “I don’t think Kili would--”

“I know,” Fili said, interrupting him. “I know. It’s just...things never turn out right when I like someone.”

“This isn’t Chicago,” Dwalin said. “You should let it go, as much as you can.”

Fili looked down at the drawing in his hand and sighed, setting it down. “His friend want to meet me.”

“Did you expect him to keep you secret?” Dwalin asked, hopping up to sit on the metal table Fili used to cool and shape his glass. “From what you’ve said he’s not the type.”

“I’ve known him almost three weeks,” Fili said. “It’s been seventeen days. I lo--I like it. I like how he makes me feel and his smile is just breathtaking but. I don’t know. I’ve felt this way before and it’s turned out to be fake and that hurts almost more than the other things.”

“I haven’t met him,” Dwalin said, “but he makes you happy and your art has only gotten better. Nothing you’ve made before comes close to these new pieces. That, right there, makes me think he’s good for you. But, if you’re a little gun shy, why don’t you bring him round here? Show off a little and let me meet him at the same time.”

Fili hesitated. “I don’t know...”

“You’re going to meet his friend, right?”

Fili nodded. “Sort of like a double date.”

“So it’s only fair,” Dwalin said.

“I guess,” Fili said, picking up his phone and swiping the screen open. He tapped his text messages and hesitated before starting to type.

//dinner?//

He set his phone down before he added anymore and grabbed his sketchbook, sitting down and starting to sketch. He heard Dwalin slide off the table and go back to his side of the forge, flicking the radio on as he went.

Fili had gotten a rough outline of an idea started when his phone chirped at him. He set his pencil down and picked the phone up. 

//Sure. Need me to pick anything up?//

//no. Meet me at the forge?//

//Okay//

Fili set the phone down and went back to drawing. He didn't know where the image was coming from but he drew it; an archer with strong arms and hair flowing down past his shoulders except for the tiniest bit secured at the back of his head by a wide silver clip, his bow made of wood with carvings and a leather wrapped grip, quiver strapped to his back next to a sword. The archer's back was to Fili as he drew it, the face obscured by his hair and position. Dwalin came over at one point, watching as Fili drew, and left without a word. The other man was working on something small and delicate on his end and left Fili to his own devices for the most part.

Toward three Fili got up from sketching and reached for some glass to mold. He started small, working just the tiniest amount of glass into what he thought an arrowhead would look like. He snipped it off from the rod and let it cool before turning it over and over in his hands. It didn't...feel right. He put it in the bucket he kept for rejects to be melted down again and grabbed his phone, looking up arrowheads and looking for something that seemed right. He found one and grabbed a sheet of paper, sketching it out quickly before grabbing another glass rod and trying again.

He managed two arrowheads, both rough and flawed but approaching what he wanted, before he noticed that he had company. Kili was sitting at his drafting table and watching him with a fascinated look, one of the glass arrowheads in his hand.

Fili smiled and finished the one he was working on before putting the blow stick down and going over to kiss Kili hello.

"You know, it's really hot to watch you work," Kili said, licking his lips.

"Oh yeah?" Fili asked with a smile.

"Oh yeah," Kili said, voice pitched low. He put the arrowhead down and tugged Fili in closer by his belt loops. "Your arms are gorgeous. Your face too, all fixed on what you're doing, concentrating on making the glass take shape for you. It's really, really hot."

Fili grinned, leaning down to kiss Kili hungrily, cupping his face and tilting his head up. Kili hummed happily into the kiss, returning it enthusiastically. They parted as Dwalin cleared his throat behind them. Fili coughed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment while Kili just smiled. 

He stood and offered his hand. "Kili Durn," he said.

"Dwalin Oldham," he said, shaking Kili's hand.

"Dwalin's the friend I mentioned before," Fili said. "This is his forge."

"Our forge, brat," Dwalin said with a shake of his head as he let go of Kili’s hand.

"Nice to meet you," Kili said, giving a tiny nod.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Dwalin said.

“Hopefully some of it was good,” Kili said, glancing at Fili.

Fili hesitated, trying to think of what he might have said. Yes, Dwalin was saying the typical, route response to meeting someone new, and Kili was giving the same pat response, but what had he been saying? Other than acting like an infatuated child.

“Have to admit, didn’t think our Fili here would fall for a teacher,” Dwalin said, arms crossed. He did have a smile on his face, though. Fili counted that as a good thing.

“What’s wrong with teachers?” Kili asked, looking honestly amused instead of offended. “Think about it, there’s a lot more fantasy kinks about teachers than anything else.”

“Oh god,” Fili breathed, hiding his face with his hands.

Dwalin laughed loudly as Fili cringed. “You’ve got balls.”

“You have no idea,” Kili said cheerfully. “I teach teenagers, Mister Dwalin, I can hold my own against anything you want to throw at me.”

Dwalin went silent and Fili peaked through his fingers. His friend was staring at Kili in shock, like someone had smacked him upside the head with a ton of metal. Kili went from cheerful to worried, his brow furrowing slightly.

“Sorry,” Dwalin said, shaking his head and running his hand over his bald head. “Just reminded me of someone is all.”

“Oh,” Kili said succinctly, still frowning slightly.

“I’ll leave you two be,” Dwalin said, reaching out to grip Fili’s shoulder and give it a squeeze before letting go. “We’ll have to grab lunch or something at some point. Nice meeting you.” He grabbed his jacket and left the forge while Fili stared at him in confusion.

“Nice guy,” Kili said, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Weird but nice.”

“Yeah, weird,” Fili said with a frown.

“Show me what you’re working on,” Kili said as he reached out and gently punched Fili in the shoulder. “You’re making arrows. You know that’s right up my alley.”

Fili smiled, reaching out and pulling Kili in close. “I know. I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I bet you look amazing with a bow in your hands.”

Kili chuckled and kissed Fili. “I’ll show you later at some point. Now, c’mon, show off for me.”

“Pushy, pushy,” Fili said with a smile. He tugged Kili over to the table where he had his dragon figurines. “Dwalin’s making some metal ones for a vendor who goes to the fantasy convention in town and the guy wanted some glass ones too. I’m making five of them, but these are finished. They’re pretty standard forms but I had fun with them.”

Kili picked up the statue, his fingers carefully tracing the red back of the dragon before looking at the little city. He had a distant look in his eyes, thoughtful and mesmerized, as his fingers traced over the carved resin. “Erebor,” he murmured softly.

Fili frowned, “What?”

Kili looked at him, startled. “What?”

“You said something. Erebor?” Fili said.

Kili shook his head and set the statue down. “No idea. These are amazing.” He nudged Fili, smiling brightly at him. “What else?”

Fili hesitated but led Kili over to his drafting table and his sketchbook. Kili looked at the sketch of the archer, smiling slightly. “It just kind of came to me,” Fili said. “Art’s been doing that a lot lately, just kind of coming to me. But, I figure, that’ll look good in glass. Maybe sand blast it where I can and get full colors into it.”

“The stance and hold is right,” Kili said, pointing out what he was talking about. “Most people draw archers the wrong way, all loose and curved instead of sharp angles. This is good. You sure you’ve never seen an archer before?”

“Never,” Fili said. “But I’d love to get some more hands on experience, or have a model to help me make sure the figurine turns out the right way.”

Kili gave him a sly smile. “I'd be glad to be your inspiration."

Fili leaned in and kissed that smile. "Excellent."

"So what're we going to do for dinner?" Kili asked, hands going to Fili's hips.

"I was thinking you could cook for me," Fili said. "Since you keep claiming to know how."

"I can do that," Kili said, leaning forward and nipping Fili's lip.

"Let me clean up in here first and then I'm all yours," Fili said with a last kiss.

Kili waved him away, sitting at his drafting table and going through Fili's sketchbook. Fili watched him out of the corner of his eye as he turned the forge off and made sure his workspace was cleaned and put away properly. He hesitated before leaving Dwalin's side alone. When he went back to Kili he found the brunet was drawing something on one of the pages Fili had filled with the sigil.

"You're not bad," he murmured, wrapping his arms around Kili from behind and watching him sketch. The pencil strokes were hesitant but sure as he drew something that seemed to match and compliment what Fili had already drawn. Fili frowned, reaching out to touch the graphite lines.

"Sorry," Kili said as he set the pencil down. "I just. It seemed to belong there." He shrugged, flushing slightly.

Fili kissed his cheek. "It's fine. C'mon, didn't you say you were going to cook for me?"

Kili nodded and stood, looking over his shoulder at the sketchpad as Fili led him out of the forge. They walked the five blocks to Fili's apartment in relative silence, Kili's hands in his pockets as he hummed softly. Fili smiled as he listened, watching the people around them.

"Any plans on what you're gonna make?" Fili asked, reaching out and snagging Kili's hand.

"I don't remember the contents of your kitchen, to be perfectly honest. The last time I was there I was more concerned with where the bed was," Kili said, squeezing Fili's hand. "But, as I was just informed today, it is National Grilled Cheese Day so maybe I'll make that."

"Wait, what?" Fili asked as he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk with a laugh.

"My sister," Kili said. He shrugged and tugged on Fili's hand. "I might have mentioned she's a pastry chef? Her husband is the head chef at the Omni Parker House so there is always loads of useless food facts at gatherings. Anyway, she called a little after you texted and went in on how it was National Grilled Cheese Day and then proceeded to rant about food holidays and how Brendan and Lily and Finley were going to drive her crazy with all their requests and if they found out that April 23rd is cherry cheesecake day she was going to stick me with the little sugar high brats."

"You're an uncle?" Fili asked, smiling at Kili's exasperation. 

"I'm the cool uncle," Kili said proudly. "Milena is my older sister, Breanna is my younger sister, and River is my older brother. You'll end up meeting them all at some point. Though, advance warning, River goes by Rivet because he's a grade A tool and thinks it makes him sound bad ass. You'd never know he was in his mid-thirties," Kili said with a head shake. "My family is insane."

"I think It's great," Fili said. "I never had a big family. It was just me, my little brother, and my mom for the longest time and then she died the year I graduated high school."

"That's harsh," Kili said. "Mine died too, not that it really matter much. Milena raised me, for the most part. My parents were always away on business and only ever bothered with me enough to sign the paperwork for my training and everything. They loved having an Olympic athlete for a son so long as I kept out of the way. It was a social status more than anything. When I dropped off the team they didn't understand. They just wanted something to brag about."

"My mom was pretty supportive of anything I did," Fili said. "She signed me up for art classes when I was little and just kept at it. It was nice."

Kili nudged his shoulder and smiled. "She'd be proud of you." He, wisely, did not say anything about Fili’s brother.

Fili smiled and kissed Kili's cheek. "So you're gonna make me a grilled cheese?"

"Nah, we'll see what you have," Kili said. "Maybe something a little more filling."

"Or, in honor of the day, you can make a slew of grilled cheese. Like ones with bacon or tomatoes or whatever."

"Or we can do that," Kili laughed. "Let's stop in the grocer then, just to grab a couple things."

Fili steered Kili toward the local grocer on the corner. "What delicious things are you going to put in these amazing sandwiches?"

Kili smiled brightly at him, making Fili's heart lurch in his chest. Wisps of Kili's hair had escaped his ponytail and curled around his face and head like a crazy little tilted halo. He was gorgeous with that smile, Fili realized. He smiled back, squeezing the hand he still held.

"You'll have to wait and see," Kili said as they walked into the mart.

"Welcome to Bag End," the short little man said from behind the counter. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, we're good," Kili said and grabbed a basket. 

He tugged Fili after him, his ponytail bouncing behind him. He grabbed a red pepper and a tomato and put them in the basket. He hummed and looked around, pausing. Fili watched with a fond smile.

"Do you like spicy food?" Kili asked.

"Spicy is very good," Fili said.

"Excellent." 

Kili threw in a couple more ingredients, including a few odd cheeses that didn’t seem like they would be good in a grilled cheese, as he pulled Fili through the store with him. Fili gave in around the olive aisle, pulling Kili close by their hands and kissed him. Kili hummed, pressing close with a pleased noise, the basket dangling in his other hand. Fili kept it slow, just enjoying the feel and taste of Kili. When he pulled back, Kili looked pleasantly dazed with kiss-bruised lips. 

"Beautiful," Fili declared. 

Kili rolled his eyes but he was smiling. He looked down at the basket and nodded. "I think we're good. Do you have a lot of bread?"

"Maybe?" Fili laughed.

Kili shook his head and led Fili to the bread aisle, looking carefully before selecting a thick cut white bread. "Okay, we're good now."

Fili was content to let Kili tug him along to the counter as he made cheerful small talk with the man. Fili was content to watch Kili, his fingers itching for his pencil. He was mainly a sculptor but he still loved to sketch. Kili was made up of sharp angles and fluid lines, just the right mix to make looking at him interesting and fascinating. Kili paid, smiling at the nice man by the name of Bilbo if his name tag was anything to go by, and turned to Fili.

"Lead on," he said with his hands full of the groceries.

Fili took a bag from Kili so he could hold his hand again as they walked. Kili smiled, humming softly under his breath as they walked. The song was familiar to FIli but he didn’t remember the name of it or the words. He let Kili into his building and the apartment, setting the bag he carried down on the counter.

“What’s Erebor?” Fili asked as Kili started lining things up on the counter. 

Kili looked up at him from where he had started poking around for a pan. “What?”

“Back at the forge, you said Erebor when you saw the statue,” Fili said.

Kili disappeared for a moment as he pulled out a big flat pan. “I don’t know. It just popped into my head.” He set the pan on the stove, his back to Fili. “It happens sometimes. Words or images just popping into my head. It’s like grasping sand or water, always flowing out of my grasp when I try and hold onto it for too long.” He shrugged and turned around, smiling brightly at Fili. “It doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“No, not really,” Fili said. He reached out and pulled Kili in close, leaning up to kiss him. “Nothing matters with you here.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Charlie’s Kitchen is a real place in Harvard Square and they make some damn awesome burgers (the best in Boston, I’d say, aside from Tasty Burger). I haven’t been in a bit so I’m describing it off the top of my head. Their beer garden is awesome, though, especially in the summer. It is a very popular place. The bathrooms are seriously graffitied, but very awesome. And the drinks Kili orders are real too. The pancake shot is Jamesons and Buttershots, with an OJ chaser (which seriously does taste like pancakes and maple syrup) and the skittles drink is something an old coworker ordered for me ages ago and it seriously DOES taste like a skittle. I love it and order it whenever I see someone has Bacardi Limon (which isn’t very often, sadly). 
> 
> Also, a note about Kili's whole...kinky side. HE IS A KINKY BASTARD. Cock stuffing and sounding are real things. And it's actually also really hot. Google it and enjoy. At some point I'm going to be posting the handcuff sex from the end of chapter 2 (am working on it when the mood strikes me) and it pretty much goes through a very long list of kinks that Kili has. It's awesome. Kili, like me, hasn't met a kink he hasn't liked. :D

Fili picked up his phone without checking the number. "I'm on my way, Kili," he said as he pulled on his jeans. "I just needed a shower or your friends would have been very unhappy with me."

"Who's Kili?"

Fili dropped the phone in shock. The cell bounced and skittered across his floor where he stared at it for a moment before picking it up. The number was an area code he didn't know but it wasn't a collect call from the prison. He hesitated before putting it to his ear.

"When did you get out?" he asked.

"Three weeks ago. So, who's Kili?"

"You're not calling from an Illinois area code. Don't tell me you already broke parole."

"Fee, I didn't know you cared!" the other man cooed.

"You're my little brother, Jared, of course I fucking care," Fili said. He sat down on his bed, head in his hand and elbows on his knees. "Where are you?"

"That's not important," Jared said. "You remember Gemma, right? Well, she had this awesome idea for a scam and Vaughn's in. I wanted to know if you wanted in. We need a fourth and you've always been the best of us."

"I left Vaughn," Fili said. "I left Chicago and you and all of that behind me. I'm not that guy anymore and if you had any sense you'd get out too. If they catch you skipping parole they're going to lock you up again and you won't be coming out for a long time. Go home, Jared, go check in with your parole officer and get a job and live a normal life."

"We don't get normal lives, bro," Jared said. "You know that."

"No," Fili said. "I do get my normal life. I get to do whatever I want. You want to run another job, get another score, you go for it. But you lose my number, Jared. I'm not doing it anymore. I'm done."

"Like fuck you're done," Jared said angrily. "You're my big brother. You got me into this is the first place. You don't just get to bail out on me because you don't have the balls for it any more."

"I'm done," Fili said again.

"No you're not," Jared said. "You're done when I'm done."

Fili hung up. He stared down at the phone and cursed softly. He should have changed his number when he moved. He should have... There were a lot of things he should have done. The good news was that Jared couldn't find him. Fili hadn't told anyone he had left Chicago. He had packed up everything that was too important to leave behind on his bike and taken off. Vaughn might have had some idea but who knows what he remembered.

His phone rang again and he glanced at it this time, his heart twinging slightly as he saw Kili's name. He hesitated and picked up.

"Hey," he said. "I'm running a little late."

"Okay," Kili said. "We're gonna grab a table and a pitcher of beer. You okay with Blue Moon?"

"Yeah that's fine," Fili said absently. "I'm not picky."

"Okay," Kili said. "Text me if you need directions."

"Will do," Fili said before hanging up. He felt bad, being so brisk with him, but it was for a good reason. Fili took a deep breath and called Dwalin.

"Aren't you supposed to be having dinner with that archer of yours?" Dwalin asked.

"Jared called. He's out of prison and he was looking for me to help him on a new scam," Fili said as his hands began to shake. He reached down and pulled up his fly and fastened the button before making his way into the bathroom. "Vaughn and Gemma too."

"Take a deep breath, kid," Dwalin said. Fili shook his head and opened the medicine cabinet, looking for the orange bottle he knew he wouldn't find. "You know the number he called from?"

"He probably stole it, no use in blocking it," Fili said. He knocked the bottles into the sink and slammed the door shut hard enough he broke the glass. He ached with the need, the addiction he had been so sure he had kicked. Turned out he hadn't really, not completely, not when all it took to make him want again was the threat of being dragged backed into his old life.

"Fili, lad, it's going to be okay," Dwalin soothed. "You need to go see Kili, meet his friend Bard. You are going to go get a burger and be charming and you and Kili will go back to his and have a good night."

Fili gnawed his lip as he looked at the bottles in the sink. "I want to forget. I want to sleep and forget and."

"Go see Kili," Dwalin interrupted. "He'll make you forget."

Fili tried not to laugh as he sat on the tiled floor of the bathroom. He ran a hand through his hair and scratched at his goatee. “I’m lying to him. I’m trying to be this perfect guy for him and I’m not and it’s going to blow up in my face.”

“You are the perfect guy for him,” Dwalin said, a hint of exasperation in his voice. “Trust me. Just be you, you don’t have to be anything else. You should tell him at some point. He’s not going to care.”

“You don’t know that!”

“I don’t care,” Dwalin said.

“You’re different,” Fili said. “You knew me before.”

“Fili,” Dwalin said, steel in his voice. “Get up off the floor and go see your boyfriend. Go get a burger. Drink a beer. Stay the hell away from anything harder but go spend time with your boy. Meet his friends. Fall more in love. And tell him.”

Fili sighed and nodded, hanging up the phone. He tried to get himself under control, the itching and craving, the burn and ache. He shook his head and got to his feet, carefully avoiding stepping on the broken glass, and went into the bedroom. He grabbed his boots and his shirt, pulling each on before grabbing his keys and leaving the apartment. He shoved his phone in his back pocket as he walked. He started for the train station, catching an Alewife bound train and getting off at Harvard. He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to calm himself down. He shouldn’t be doing this. This wasn’t right. He wanted nothing more than to turn around, pack up his bike, and get the hell out of town. Find somewhere that Jared and Vaughn couldn’t find him. He should have just texted Kili and just cancelled or... It was too late. He looked up at the sign that read “Charlie’s Kitchen”.

He hesitated, dragging his phone out as he stood in front of the dark restaurant.

“I almost thought you weren’t going to show,” Kili said. He was standing by the telephone pole, a cigarette between his fingers. He was dressed in a pair of jeans with ripped knees and threadbare thighs and a blue shortsleeved v-neck t-shirt. He took one last drag of the cigarette before dropping it to the ground and sweeping his hair up into a lazy ponytail.

Fili slid his phone back into his pocket and went over to Kili, arms going around his waist. He closed his eyes, just holding Kili for a few moments. Kili wrapped his arms around him after a second of hesitation. Fili took a long calming breath, still aching and thinking and yearning and needing and wanting for that orange bottle he was never going to be able to reach for again, and tightened his arms around Kili.

“Hey, you okay?” Kili asked softly.

“No,” Fili said with a sharp laugh.

Kili pulled away a little to look at Fili, biting his lip. “C’mon,” he said, taking Fili’s hand and tugging him after him.

Fili followed Kili into the restaurant, dim but most certainly open as people chattered from big booths and a cramped little bar. It looked like a dive, with neon beer logos scattered all over and chalkboard with beer names, but it was also like a 50s-style diner with the way to menu was set into the wall. It was a nice place, and completely lost on Fili as Kili dragged him toward the back of the place and up a set of rickety wooden steps. Upstairs was another bar, full of tables and tvs mounted against the walls showing the Celtics kicking some serious ass. The lighting was equally as dim in here as it was downstairs, but Kili didn’t stop there. He lead Fili toward the back and a heavily graffitied door, opening it and pushing Fili inside.

“The bathroom?” Fili asked with a frown as Kili closed the door behind him and threw the lock. “I really don’t think that little lock is going to stop anyone from coming in.”

Kili smiled and pushed Fili against the sink counter. “I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said. “Wanna tell me what’s wrong?”

Fili shook his head, looking around the room. It was a normal bathroom, a single toilet with a sink counter and a large mirror, tiled wall, with a bright light in the ceiling. The walls and mirror, though, were just as graffitied as the door, marked up with sharpie and lipstick with inane drawings and sayings. There were a couple of phone numbers and Twitter usernames, and quite a few crossed out by others insulting some of them.

“Nice place,” Fili said.

Kili leaned in and kissed him, keeping it slow and sweet. “You look like you’d rather be anywhere but here. What’s up?” He stayed within Fili’s personal space, leaning against him slightly.

Fili shook his head, his hand jittering against his side. “I can’t,” he said.

Kili tilted his head to the side and kissed Fili again. “Can I help?”

Fili shook his head again. “No. I, fuck, look. I should go. I shouldn’t have come.”

“I get the feeling that if I let you leave that I’m never going to see you again,” Kili said, his hands reaching out to take Fili’s. “You’re shaking...”

“I should go,” Fili said again, glancing toward the door.

Kili nuzzled at his jaw. “This is more than just being nervous about Bard. What’s up?”

“Kili,” Fili tried, his hands pressing against the other man to push him away...but he didn’t. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out as he rested his head against Kili’s shoulder.

“Okay,” Kili said. “You can tell me later. Let’s see if we can calm you down, yeah?”

Fili shook his head, keeping his eyes closed as he leaned into Kili. Kili nudged Fili to lean back against the counter and went to his knees. Fili started to protest--who knew how dirty that floor was in such a dingy place--but forgot what he was going to say when Kili nuzzled him through his jeans, hands going back to knead Fili’s thighs from behind. Fili watched as Kili undid his button and dragged his fly down, the other’s eyes locking with his as he tugged the denim down enough that he could get at Fili’s underwear without issue.

“Kili,” Fili whispered.

“You need to relax a little,” Kili said as he gently pulled Fili’s cock free. “Short of dragging you back to mine, this is the best I can come up with.” He stroked him a couple of times, watching Fili as he did before leaning in and taking the head of Fili’s cock into his mouth.

Fili groaned, hands gripping the counter tightly as Kili tongued him, sending waves of pleasure through him. His hand stroked along the shaft tightly as Kili worked more of Fili’s cock into his mouth, pulling back slightly every time to tongue the slit of his cock. Kili had only blown him once before but that seemed to be all he needed, the other man paying special attention to every bit of Fili that he had in his mouth. Kili reached down with his free hand to rub and roll Fili’s balls as he sucked harder at her. Fili just groaned, one hand going down to grip Kili’s hair as his hips rolled forward to meet Kili’s movements. Kili hummed in approval, tugging teasingly at Fili’s balls, as he kept up his oral assault.

It didn’t take long before Fili was tugging at Kili’s hair in warning, gasping out his name, as his orgasm started to build. Kili pulled back slightly until he just had the head in his mouth, flattening his tongue along the underside of Fili’s cock. That was all it took for Fili to come with a shout, Kili’s name on his lips, as the other man swallowed everything Fili had to give. Fili watched, breathless and limp feeling, as Kili stayed on his knees and licked him clean until he softened.

“Holy shit,” Fili murmured.

Kili tucked Fili into his underwear with a gentle pat and pulled up his pants and buttoned and zipped him back up. “Better?” he asked, rocking back on his heels and looking up at Fili.

“Kili...”

Kili smiled at him and stood, nuzzling his jaw. “You’ve stopped shaking. That’s good. We should get some food into you and some booze. That’ll make things even better.”

Fili cupped Kili’s face, thumbs stroking his stubbled jaw, and kissed him. Kili made a pleased noise, leaning into him, as Fili took his time tasting every inch of Kili’s mouth that he could. He didn’t care that he could taste himself there, thinking the thought more than a little hot; he just wanted to feel Kili, touch him, taste him, imprint everything about the other man that he could into his memory.

“You’re amazing,” Fili said when he broke the kiss.

Kili licked his lips, smiling. “Think you’re up to dealing with Bard?”

“I think I could try,” Fili said.

Kili leaned in, giving him a quick kiss, before fixing his hair and unlocking the bathroom. He opened the door for Fili with a cheerful smile, ignoring the cheers that went up from the people in the booths closest to the bathroom, and headed down the stairs. “We’re in the beer garden,” he said as he lead Fili back out through the restaurant and around the corner into a patio that was much larger than the place they were just in. It was packed from wall to gate with people and Kili grabbed his hand as they wove their way between people, tables, chairs, and waitresses to a back high table.

“You found him!” the man with dark hair pulled back into a tiny ponytail said with a laugh. “I was wondering what took you so long.”

“We got another pitcher,” the blonde girl sitting next to the man said.

"Awesome," Kili said. "So, this is Bard and Jazz. Guys, this is Fili."

"Nice to meet you," Fili said as he shook Bard's extended hand and smiled at Jazz. "Sorry I was late, my brother called and, well. It's a long story."

Kili raised an eyebrow at him and snagged a waitress who was passing by. "Can you get Gina to send over a couple of skittles and those pancake shots?"

"You're doing those on your own," Bard said with his arms crossed as he leaned back in his chair. "We have the little monsters tomorrow remember?"

Kili shrugged. "It's Friday, Bard. Tomorrow's just a meet." He grabbed the empty glass on the table and the pitcher and poured Fili a pint of beer. Fili smiled in thanks, taking a sip.

"Against those Cambridge brats," Bard said. "They destroyed us last year, remember?"

"Fuck, quick, Fili tell me about yourself and help me drown out these sports fanatics," Jazz laughed. "We'll be here all night just listening to them go on and on about their kids."

Fili chuckled. "I'm more interested in these drinks Kili's ordered for us."

Kili leaned against him and smiled a little. "You'll see when they get here. Gina's an old friend who makes fabulous drinks."

"Kili met her years ago when he was drinking with a fake ID," Bard said.

"I thought you were screwing her brother," Jazz said as she took a healthy sip of her beer.

"Weren't you screwing her?" Bard asked with a frown.

"Wow," Fili said with a grin. "I'm dating a slut."

"You have no idea," Jazz laughed.

"He gets surprisingly little sex for a slut," Bard said. "It's kind of sad. One would almost think he's doing something wrong."

Kili had sat back in his chair, sipping from the glass he held loosely by the top. "Well, really now. We have an expert here tonight. Fili, do you think I'm doing something wrong?"

Fili grinned. "Well, you're a little more kinky than I'm used to but that is not a complaint. Though I've never dated anyone who liked having their cock stuffed so that's kind of new. But hey, I like tying you down and listening to you beg."

Bard choked on the mouthful of beer he'd just taken and Jazz's jaw dropped. Kili just laughed, setting his beer down and pulling Fili in for a kiss.

"You've learned to like sounding," Kili said.

"I like watching you squirm," Fili said. "Love watching you beg."

The waitress cleared her throat and set the drinks down on the table. "Gina says the drinks are on the house but she says you owe her a dance on the bar."

"Tell her she can keep dreaming for that one to actually happen," Kili said.  
“Which she said you’d say,” the waitress replied with an eye roll. “She wants to meet your blond friend. Said she’ll come over if she gets a breather any time soon.”

“So what is the story with you and Gina?” Bard asked.

Kili shrugged and pushed the shots and drinks to everyone. “You had it right with the fake ID. I was the youngest on a team of older guys and they would always party and go out to drink and I, lowly one that I am, got tired of the teasing. Rivet got me a fake ID somehow and I went out and learned how to drink the rest of the team under the table. Sixteen year olds should not be able to drink twenty-somethings under the table but I did. And they learned not to fuck with me for the most part.”

Fili hesitated, sipping his beer and trying not to look at the harder stuff so close within his reach.

“Gina, of course, knew I was underage and got the whole story out of me. She was just starting out as a bartender and kept seeing all these insane shots that no one ever ordered that she wanted to try making. Her brother got sick of being her guinea pig and so I somehow managed to be her new tester,” Kili said. He tapped the small glass full of clear liquid. “These are Gina’s specialty. I call it a skittle. It’s Bacardi Limon, SoCo, and sprite.”

Fili laughed, “Seriously?”

Bard shook his head. “Hell no. I’m not drinking anything harder than beer. One of us better be hangover free tomorrow at that match.”

“I don’t get hangovers,” Kili said. He picked up the glass and toasted them with it before taking a big sip. “Someone better put a goddamned bullet in my head when I can’t drink as much as I want without the pain.”

Jazz laughed and picked up the glass, clinking it with Kili’s before taking a sip herself. She made a startled sound. “Oh my god, it does taste like a skittle! One of the yellow ones, or the green one.”

“You know, they’ve replaced the lime skittle,” Kili said. “It’s tragic. It’s now green apple.”

“They tried that once before,” Jazz said. “They switched it back after a couple of months of very angry people. They’ll switch it back before too long again.”

“So, tell me about yourself,” Bard said as Jazz and Kili started a spirited debate about the merits of skittles versus starbursts. 

“Not much to tell,” Fili said, sipping his beer and setting it back on the table.

“You and your brother close?” Bard asked.

Fili snorted, leaning back in his chair and stretched his arm out to rest against the back of Kili’s chair, brushing his shoulder every now and then. “We were, once upon a time. But then our mom died and shit happened. He went to jail about two years or so ago and got out for good behaviour or some such recently. He thought he’d call to see if he could crash at my place. Thankfully I don’t live in Chicago anymore.”

Bard let out a low whistle. “That’s some family.”

Fili shrugged, smiling as charmingly as he could, mind going through lies he could possibly tell and keep straight. “It is. He’s troubled but it’s not all his fault. He fell in with a bad crowd and, well, you know how that goes. I’m just thankful it was for petty theft and not something worse, like grand theft auto or homicide. Him getting sent to jail was a good thing.”

“But you still don’t want to have anything to do with him,” Bard said, sipping his beer and watching Fili sharply. He reminded Fili far too much of every teacher he had ever had growing up who could see right through him. Cops and priests had nothing on teachers, or other con men for that matter.

“Not particularly,” Fili said, choosing his words carefully. “I know that a lot of it wasn’t his fault, but he did a lot of things that hurt. I love him but I don’t think I can be around him for very long. Too many bad memories, too many hurt feelings, too much bad blood at this point. Maybe we’ll fix it later but right now I can’t.”

“Fair enough,” Bard said. “Kili said you’re an artist. There can’t be a lot of money in that.”

“Nuhunh,” Fili said with a grin. “My turn. What do you teach?” He picked up his beer and took a drink.

Bard laughed. “Chemistry,” he said. “It’s not nearly as fun as English but it’s still pretty decent. I get to teach the kids how to blow things up and to make gum and silly putty. It also helps to have some of the kids on the team in my classes. Helps them improve their shots if they can figure out the physics behind it.”

A balled up napkin smacked Bard in the face before falling into his beer. 

“Oy,” Kili said. “Knock it off. Jazz and I have decided that we’re not allowed to talk about archery, or school, or anything relating to jobs. We are going to act like twentysomethings and drinks and gossip and argue sports and be absolutely mundane.”

Fili grinned as Bard lobbed his own napkin back at Kili who leaned to the side fast enough that the white paper projectile went flying past him to hit the back of someone else’s head. 

“You owe me a new beer, bitch,” Bard said.

“This round was already on me,” Kili said.

“Hey, Fili, what’s your viewpoint on Rocky Horror?” Jazz asked, leaning over to smile at him.

Fili kissed Kili’s cheek and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “I’m a fan. I played Rocky in high school.”

“Oh that’s hot,” Jazz said.

Kili grinned. “My boyfriend, not yours.”

Fili laughed as the conversation turned toward favorite movies and plays, books and music. Burgers were ordered, as was another pitcher of beer. Kili drank Fili’s untouched skittle drink and his shot when he noticed Fili wasn’t drinking them. He kept his arm around Kili, or held his hand, through the rest of the night. It was a good night, enjoyable, and Fili liked Bard and Jazz. The night drew to a close a little after midnight, Kili flushed and buzzed, smiling brightly and leaning into Fili as they walked to the train. Bard had grabbed Kili’s phone and programmed a very obnoxious alarm so the other man would remember (and wake up) in time for the match the next day before sending Kili and Fili on their way.

“They like you,” Kili murmured as he leaned heavily against Fili on the train. They sat together, Kili cuddled up close against Fili’s side, eyes closed.

“I like them too,” Fili said. “We should do this again.”

“You know,” Kili began, yawning slightly, “the Lowes at Boston Commons does Rocky Horror every Saturday at midnight. We should go sometime, get all dressed up for it. Could find you some tiny little gold shorts.”

“I’m not dressing up as Rocky in April,” Fili laughed.

“Maybe during the summer then,” Kili said. “It’ll be fun. I could be Frank.”

“You’d look good in fishnets,” Fili agreed. He ran his hand through Kili’s hair, freeing it from it’s customary ponytail. Kili made a pleased noise and snuggled in closer against Fili. Fili let him, watching as the train passed over the Charles, Boston lit up brightly against the dark night sky.

First thing he’d do tomorrow, Fili decided as he watched the Citgo sign flash through it’s bright light cycle, was get a new phone. He’d get a local number, a new phone, and he’d toss his old one into the Bay. He liked his new life. He liked Kili’s friends, loved his freedom and the way his art was taking off, and he had Kili. He liked Kili a lot, might even possibly love him. Fili wasn’t about to let Jared, or Vaughn, or anyone else get in the way of his new life. He was going to do whatever he could to keep everything exactly the way it was, or die trying.


	5. Chapter 5

Thorin frowned as the notification came up that he had a new email. He clicked the tab and rubbed his chin. He didn’t recognize the email address, or the name, and the email’s subject was I REMEMBER. There was an attachment to the email as well. He clicked on it, giving into curiosity.

There was no body to the email, just the video attachment. He clicked open, picking up his beer bottle and taking a sip from the dark green glass. As the attachment opened and began to play, the beer bottle slipped through his fingers to smash against the hardwood floor. He sat up, staring in stunned silence, at the scene that played out before him.

It was Kili, much younger, his naked back to the camera as he leaned back against someone’s spread legs. The hands on his waist were an adult’s, the voice deeper than Kili’s, moaning with him. Thorin hit mute on his computer as Kili tossed his head back, his hair much shorter, mouth opened in a wordless moan. He kept watching, horrified, as Kili came, slumping over and to the side. The man Kili was with swept his blond hair aside, smiling down at the younger man.

Thorin felt himself go cold as he saw the other man’s face. He reached out and slammed the lid of his laptop shut. I remember. That bastard. How did Thranduil of all people find a way around the curse? If it was ever lifted, if he ever found a way around it, he was going to destroy that pointy-eared bastard who dared lay a hand on his blood.

:::

Dwalin was just finishing the pendant he was working on when he felt strong arms around his waist and a chin on his shoulder. He smiled and leaned back against Thorin as he set his tools down.

“That’s coming along nicely,” Thorin said, chest rumbling against against his back.

“Thanks,” Dwalin said. He’d finally had a little breathing room in his schedule and he had decided to make the sigils. He had finished Fili’s yesterday and just finished Kili’s. He didn’t know what he was going to do with them but he felt better having made them.

“I was thinking,” Thorin said. “It’s been a very long time since we actually went out on a date.”

Dwalin snorted. “Thor, we don’t date.”

Dwalin felt him shrug behind him. “Hear me out, I have an idea.”

“Unless it involves beer and a bed, I’m not really interested.”

Thorin snorted. “When’s the last time you played paintball?”

Dwalin turned and looked at him, eyebrow arched. “College. When I kicked your ass.”

“Exactly,” Thorin said with an easy smirk. “It’s time I returned the favor.”

“Paintball,” Dwalin said.

“There will be beer afterwards,” Thorin said, his arms dropping to his sides as he slid his hands into his jeans. “I can probably wrangle steak and nachos too.”

“We’re hardly in our twenties,” Dwalin said, leaning against his work table. He couldn’t held the grin that kept twitching across his face.

“Oh, so that means you’re afraid to get your ass handed to you, got it,” Thorin said with a nod. “Okay. I’ll go see if I can find someone else with the balls to play with me.”

“You’re a dick,” Dwalin said.

“A dick that’s going to own your ass,” Thorin said.

“You’re on,” Dwalin said.

“Loser buys the beer?” Thorin said.

“Loser gets to bottom,” Dwalin said with a smirk.

Thorin’s smile slid across his face slowly. “This is gonna be good.”

:::

“Hey Bofur,” Nori greeted as the other man sat down at the bar. “Your usual?”

“Thanks,” Bofur said as he took off his weird little winged hat and took out a small moleskin.

“Still trying to figure out a new card game?” Nori asked as he placed the pint of Sam Adams in front of the other man.

Bofur shrugged. “I was thinking dice this time. Or maybe dice and cards, go for broke and make a new tabletop.”

“You should talk to that reporter kid, Ori? He came by to do that piece on you last year,” Nori said. “He geeked all over my bar about your game. It was kind of cute.”

Bofur shook his head and took out a pencil. “Nah, I’m good. There’s a comic group up in Arlington Heights that does tabletop games. I’ve stopped by a couple of times but I’m not sure. They liked my card game easily enough but dice make it harder.”

“You’re good at making new games,” Nori said. “You’ll be fine.”

Bofur picked up the pint glass and took a sip. “Thanks, Nori.”

“No problem,” Nori said. “Let me know if you need anything else, yeah?”

Bofur nodded, setting his beer down and sketching out a quick idea. Nori shook his head and went down to the other end of the bar, hopping up on the bar itself and picking up his book. It was probably gonna be a slow night tonight, but he wouldn’t complain. It gave him some time to finish reading the MIT Guide To Lockpicking.

:::

“Lena, hun, calm down,” Bombur said as he watched his wife start on her fourth batch of cupcakes.

“My little brother is dating someone,” Milena said as she set the bowl of batter down on the counter and checked the cupcakes already in the oven. “He didn’t even tell me, Bard did. My little brother is dating someone and he didn’t even tell me.”

“Kili doesn’t tell you when he’s dating,” Bombur said as he peeled the paper off one of the cooled and frosted cakes.

“Because he knows I hate them all. None of them are good enough for him,” Milena said. “Besides, none of them ever stick around long enough. Either they break his heart or he breaks theirs. I blame that damned coach of his. That man really fucked him up.”

“Your parents should have pressed charges,” Bombur said.

Milena shook her head as she grabbed mitts and pulled out the cupcakes. She set them to cool on the stovetop and turned back to her bowl, her long brown hair pinned back with a pair of wooden chopsticks she had found in the silverware drawer. “Please, you met them before they died. Do you think they really cared? No, they were more upset about the fact their little Olympian had quit instead of seeing it through. And! If they had pressed charges then it would have made the papers. And that, husband, would have been unacceptable.”

Bombur finished the cupcake, chewing slowly as he watched Milena stomp around the kitchen. She pulled out food coloring and squirted a couple of drops of blue into the batter and then reached for her extracts. “Why don’t you call him if you’re so worried?”

“Because he’s dodging my calls,” she said. “I have half a mind to go over to that apartment of his and smack some sense into him.”

“Does Bard like the new boyfriend?” Bombur asked.

Milena hesitated, her blue eyes troubled as she set her hands on her hips. “He does,” she said. “The kid’s name is Fili and apparently he and Kili are absolutely mad for each other. Bard said Kili thinks I’m going to chase him off and that’s why my charming little brother hasn’t said anything.”

“They’re not that wrong,” Bombur said.

“I wouldn’t!” Milena protested as she set the batter down and picked up her frosting bag. Her second batch of cupcakes had cooled enough by now that she could ice them. Bombur cocked an eyebrow at her as he picked up another cupcake. “Oh, fine. I would. But only if I thought he wasn’t good enough for my Kili.”

“Milena, sweetie,” Bombur said around his mouthful of cake. “No one is good enough for Kili.”

“You’re just dreading when the kids get old enough to date,” Milena said. “You think I’m going to turn into a nightmare.”

“It’ll be justified then,” Bombur said., smiling as he stuffed the rest of the cupcake in his mouth.

“It’s justified now,” Milena said as she kept icing. “I want Kili to be happy. He deserves it. He needs it. He just always chooses the wrong type of man. Or woman. Maybe I should just find this Fili on my own and see what he’s about. Better to ask forgiveness and all that.”

Bombur shook his head as he got up and went to the fridge, pulling out the pitcher of lemonade and pouring himself a tall glass. Milena was smiling now, her icing less aggressive and more whimsical now. Bombur almost felt sorry for this Fili; once Milena made up her mind on something it was set. He took a sip of his lemonade, washing out the last sugary remains of the icing from his mouth, and glanced at the phone. Maybe he should warn Kili...

Nah.

:::

“Ori! I need that article yesterday!” his editor shouted down the hall at him.

Ori groaned, typing faster. “I can only type so fast, Garth!”

“Then get some dictation software! I want that story on my desk in five minutes. We have a deadline, kid. That story is huge news and if you don’t hurry your damned ass up I’ll find someone else who will type faster!”

“Jeez,” Ori muttered. “It’s not life or death.”

“Garth’s a kitten,” Ori’s cube mate said. “You know that.”

“Except when he hates me,” Ori said as he kept typing. The news story was pretty damned important, but it wasn’t life or death. Yes, they were running up against the deadline but there would be plenty of time between when ori would finish typing for Garth to read it over and then send it down to be published.

“You know how the Globe is,” his cubemate said. “Hurry, hurry, hurry.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ori said. “Watch Garth bump me to some entertainment feature type story next because I can’t type as fast as he likes.”

“Didn’t you hear? You’re covering the big gala that private school throws. The one that Durn kid teaches at.”

“Awesome,” Ori muttered as he finished typing and hit print. “Fantastic.”

:::

Thorin watched Kili with his kids as he wove in between the line of his team, adjusting stances or elbows as he went. Bard was doing the same at the other end, giving his own opinion and advice. The kids took aim and shot their arrows at the targets, most of them hitting somewhere near the center. Only a couple of the newer students hit the outer rings or missed entirely. From where he was he could hear the praise Kili heaped on his students, even the new ones, and called off pairs to help each other.

There was something relaxing watching Kili work with his kids. It made Thorin wistful, thinking what might have been if they had survived that battle, if they had been able to reclaim and rule Erebor. He knew now that it just wasn’t meant to be but it still stung a little. There was so much he had wanted to accomplish, so much he had wanted to do once they had had Erebor.

Most of it had been in regards to his nephews. His dear sister-sons who had died protecting him, died protecting each other, and their shared dream of Erebor. He had wanted them happy, crowned in silver and gold, formally recognized as soulmates and wed. It wasn't meant to be. Instead they had died slowly on the battlefield, separated. It didn't matter that Kili had killed Azog or that Fili had killed his son. They had died and it was as it was.

Thorin had always known, always remembered, since he was small. He knew it was his burden, his punishment, for having led his sister-sons to their death, for his abuse of the hobbit, for the crimes he had committed throughout his life that Mahal had judged him for. It hurt, physically, when he was younger to not be able to tell anyone his memories. He could not look for Dis or Frerin or anyone. He had been alone, truly alone, as he went through this new life surrounded by people he did not know.

When Dwalin had moved in next door Thorin had thought that this was it, that he would finally be able to talk to someone about the memories, that the two of then could do something about it. Yes, they were barely 10 at the time, but he had been excited.

The excitement had been short lived.

Dwalin did not remember and, even worse, Thorin could not tell him. Every time he tried his voice had vanished. He had given up after two years of trying and let their relationship develop as if he had never known Dwalin before. In a way, he didn’t. They were different in this world, in this life. Dwalin was still gruff and had a fearsome temper, but he had a different sort of kindness to him. A life in ease, Thorin supposed. Before they had lived comfortably in Erebor until Smaug, and then they had lived a much harder life where war and fighting were what kept them alive. There had been little room for kindness and smiles and laughter. 

Dwalin smiled more here. 

Until he had left. Thorin still didn’t know the reason behind that but he hoped it was because Dwalin had remembered. It wasn’t like he could just ask him, after all, but he thought Dwalin did. Especially since he had come back to Boston with Fili. 

Fili... He still had yet to see his other sister-son. There was little to nothing about him online or in the public records. All Thorin had been able to find was that he and his younger brother had been raised by a single mother until she had died of a very bad case of flu when Fili was sixteen. He and his brother had been put into foster care where they had vanished a year later. Jared had been arrested and sent to prison two years ago on several counts of fraud and larceny, but there had been no mention of Fili. He wanted to meet his nephew, to see him in person once more.

He had nearly made a fool of himself when he’d seen Kili’s resume cross his desk, staring and then scrambling to his computer like he had. There had been a lot about the other man online, details that Thorin had greedily devoured and secreted away in his mind. Kili’s new family was old Boston money, affording him the opportunity to do nothing but focus on archery for years in the hopes of going to the Olympics (which he’d had a chance at and then promptly quit after making the US team), he had three siblings of which he was a middle child, and his parents had died in a plane crash when he was eighteen. 

Kili had gone to UMass Boston for his degree and had spent two of his four years being an assistant teacher at the college while also spending a semester in a Boston public school. He was good with kids, all his references said, and he was a wonderful person. It hadn’t really been a hard choice, hiring Kili, but he wanted to know more about him. 

Nothing, though, had prepared him for meeting Kili face-to-face. For one, Kili had immediately hit on him. Thorin had been stunned and then flatly rejected him before introducing himself. Kili had gone slightly pale and then smiled, apologizing and getting down to business. Thorin had asked, after a month or so of Kili working, if he’d be interested in starting archery as a sport again at the school and Kili had jumped at the opportunity. It had taken many calls and a couple of well placed threats, but Thorin had managed to give his sister-son the chance to practice archery again and to teach kids how to shoot as well.

Had they lived, Kili would have made a wonderful warmaster.

But it was no use dwelling on the past, on a life that had ended in a world that was no more. Thorin had kept his distance from Kili if only for that one reason. It had nothing to do with how much he wanted to take Kili in his arms and praise Mahal for this second chance. Kili had been the baby of their family, wild and free, and he and Fili and Dis had done everything they could to protect him. Here Thorin was denied that chance and was not sure how to handle it. He remembered so much of Kili and loved him as he would his own son, but here he was denied the chance to even give him a friendly hug or nod of praise.

So he kept his distance.

In everything, he kept his distance. It was the only way he could survive remembering.

:::

“Is it time?”

“No, not yet. Soon, though. It will be time soon.”

“We’ve found a place that will work nicely, sir. Basement room, secure exits. I’ve sent a crew in to soundproof it.”

“Good.”

“Will you grab them both, sir? Or just the one?”

“Plan for one. If I can take my revenge on both then I will, but I want that one specifically.”

“Of course, sir. Very good, sir. I will make all the arrangements.”

“I want surveillance on him. I want to know everything there is to know about him.”

“It is already being done, sir.”

“Excellent.”


	6. Chapter 6

"What is it that you want to take me to?" Fili asked, kissing his way down Kili's leg to kiss his ankle. He smoothed his thumb over the blue police box tattoo that he'd been rudely informed was the TARDIS from Doctor Who when he'd asked. Kili had yet to subject him to the show but he knew it was only a matter of time.

Kili stretched, his ankle flexing in Fili's hand as he did so. "It's a fundraising gala," he said sleepily. "I've been ordered by Thorin to attend because I'm pretty and charming and I have a fantastic smile and I'm the school's resident celebrity. People open their checkbooks because of me and my name. It kind of sucks. Save me from a night of boredom?"

Fili smiled and nibbled on the thin skin of Kili's ankle bone. "Where is it?"

"Omni Parker House," Kili said. "My sister is catering with her hubby. You can meet them in a really quick, painless setting at the same time."

Fili smiled against Kili's foot, hands sliding up his calf and tracing over the bold black script that proclaimed BE THE STRENGTH. "This is sounding more and more like an event I want to avoid. Gala generally means suits and then you're throwing not only your boss but your sister at me? Now that's just mean."

"I'll withhold sex?" Kili said, his voice rising at the end to make it a question as he looked down his body at Fili.

Fili, who had been following his hands with his lips, nipped at Kili's knee. "No you won't."

"Don't sound so sure. I have will power," Kili said, trying to sound stern as he narrowed his eyes at Fili.

"You're no Green Lantern, darlin'," Fili murmured as he kissed his way up his thigh, nudging Kili's legs apart.

"I can resist you," Kili protested, twisting his legs away from him.

Fili licked his lips, supporting himself on his elbows as he watched Kili. The other man was curled to the side, hair a loose and tangled mess from their previous rounds of sex, his lips bruised from kissing, looking utterly debauched as he tried to glare at Fili. He looked as fearsome as a fennec fox, wild yet utterly tamed, more likely to nibble a finger than gnaw off an arm. Fili pushed himself up and reached out, grabbing Kili by the hips and dragging him, laughing, against his chest.

“You can try,” Fili said, nibbling along his shoulder and arm. “You will fail.”

Kili squirmed, growling out pitiful protests as he tried unsuccessfully to get away from Fili. The two flailed around the bed for a couple of minutes until Fili had maneuvered Kili toward the headboard and slapped the dangling handcuffs around his wrists. Kili yanked a little at them, testing to see if he could get free, before going limp and pouting dramatically up at Fili through his messy hair.

“God you’re gorgeous,” Fili said as he sat back on his heels.

Kili huffed, some of his hair flying out of his face from the force of his breath and settling even more haphazardly on his head. “Say you’ll go.”

“I don’t own a suit,” Fili said, smiling slightly.

“I can buy you one,” Kili said.

“What’s the point if it’s only going to be once?” Fili asked as he tugged Kili’s legs straight and slipped between them.

“The point is you get to dress up and show off for people,” Kili said. “The idea of you in a suit kind of makes me want to try undressing you with my teeth.”

“That would possibly hurt,” Fili said, running his fingers over the raven tattoo.

Kili glanced down at Fili’s fingers on his hip. “You know that drawing? The little design thing. I want to get that done on my other hip.”

“How is that going to get me into a suit?” Fili asked.

“It’s not,” Kili said. “I’m just saying. I want to get it done, and I want you to come with me.”

Fili leaned in and brushed Kili’s hair out of his face as he kissed him gently. “I’m not wearing a suit.”

“How about a tux?” Kili asked, nipping Fili’s lip.

“Fuck no,” Fili said, sliding his fingers through Kili’s hair and trying to untangle the mess.

“You’d abandon me to be hit on and groped by little old ladies and their rich grandsons?” Kili asked, trying to look hurt. Fili yanked on the fistful of hair he held. Kili winced and squirmed, whining low in his throat. Fili untangled the strands, petting them flat and leaned forward to kiss Kili’s forehead. “Come with me,” Kili asked. “Please?”

“Why do you want me to come along so badly?” Fili asked.

Kili nudged Fili’s side with his knee. “I want to spend time with you. It’s a low stress event, for the most part, with free food and booze. You get dressed up and feel all snazzy, dance a little, drink a lot, and make utter fools of yourselves."

Fili worked at one of the more stubborn knots in Kili's hair as he thought. He really didn't want to go, or get all gussied up, but then he thought about Kili in a suit. Tempting. But then there was the sister and the boss and did he really want to get involved in that? A large part of him wanted to keep this secret, keep Kili to himself and not share him with anyone ever. That was the part that had kept him alive and out of jail for so long, but it was also the part that had let Vaughn manipulate him. There was a small part that whispered that this is what normal people did, they went to each other's work events and met their family and friends. They did normal people things like go out for burgers and pitchers of beer and did nothing more than talk and laugh. They did normal things, mundane things.

This is what he had wanted.

Kili was watching him curiously, leaning into Fili's hands on his hair. Fili sighed and leaned in, kissing the tip of Kili's nose. "I'll go," he said.

"Thank you," Kili said with a brilliant smile. He wrapped his legs around Fili, pulling him closer. "Let me show you how thankful I am."

:::

There was a woman waiting for him when he got to work a few days later. She was perched on the picnic table that Dwalin had out front and was sipping a coffee. Fili got off his bike and pulled off his helmet, trying to figure out who she was and what she wanted. It was early morning and the forge was away from mainstream commuter traffic.

“Hi,” she said cheerfully. “I’m Milena Durn.”

Fili fumbled with his helmet and set it down on the table. “Hi.”

Milena picked up another cup of coffee and handed it to him. “Here, have some coffee and sit with me.”

Fili did as he was told, taking the coffee and sitting on the bench while she stayed perched on the table itself.

“My little brother is a bit of an idiot sometimes,” Milena said as she took a sip of her coffee. “He honestly thought he could get away with sneaking you past me at that gala. Me and my husband are both working so he probably figured he could point to you and say ‘hey, sis, that’s Fili, my new boyfriend’ and be done with it. See? Idiot.”

“Seems pretty smart to me,” Fili said, setting his helmet down next to him and wrapping his hands around the coffee cup.

Milena shrugged. “If it was Rivet, or Breanna, who did that it’d be fine. They have normal dating habits. Kili, on the other hand, doesn’t. So it’s got me kind of curious. What type of man did my baby brother fall for that’s so completely outside the norm?”

Fili took a sip of the coffee instead of answering.

“Tell me about yourself,” Milena ordered. “I know some from Bard, and he likes you, but I want it from the horse’s own mouth, if you get my meaning. Especially since you two have been dating for almost two months now.”

“Not much to tell,” Fili said. He’d never dealt with this before. Overprotective sisters were things that happened to other people, people in relationships, people who had people who cared about them. He was sailing in some highly uncharted waters and wanted nothing more than to run. “I used to live in Chicago but moved here to help out with Dwalin’s forge and the chance to do more of my own work. My mom died when I was in high school, my younger brother Jared is a con man.”

“In lieu of there being parents present, what are your intentions toward my little brother,” Milena asked with a charming smile. Fili knew those smiles, those were snake smiles. She wanted to tear him to shreds.

“I like him,” Fili said simply. Yes, simple, he thought. Best to keep it simple. Factual. “I like spending time with him. He’s funny and sweet and he makes me smile. There’s just this...this air about him that draws you in and it makes you feel like everything will be okay so long as he keeps smiling and laughing. My art has certainly gotten better since I met him and I feel more, if that makes any sense. He’s like, I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense to me either. I’m not the type to do relationships but he makes me want to try. He makes me want to be a better man, for him, to make sure he keeps smiling because the world sucks but his smile makes you think that maybe everything in the past was worth it if he was what I was waiting for.”

Yeah, factual, Fili’s brain mocked him. That was real simple and factual. More like he started babbling.

Milena was silent as she sipped her coffee, watching him as she did so. Fili dropped his eyes the the coffee cup and took a sip for lack of anything else to say or do. This was nerve wracking. Vaughn didn’t have any family who cared about him, and the other people Fili had slept with were one night stands. He didn’t even know their names.

“Okay,” Milena said.

“Okay?” Fili asked with a frown.

“Yeah, okay,” Milena said. “I think I get it now.”

“Get what?” Fili asked, feeling a bit like a parrot.

“You love him,” Milena said with a smile that looked so much like Kili’s. “I may think you’re not telling me the whole truth about your past but I’m pretty sure Kili hasn’t told you anything about his either. I know that he likes you a lot to introduce you to Bard and he’s taking you to this gala as his plus one. That’s not normal for Kili, so take that as you will.”

Fili shook his head. “I don’t love him, I barely know him.”

Milena hopped off the table and reached out to ruffle his hair. “It’s cute that you don’t even know it. Kid, it’s in your voice and eyes when you talk about him. You love him. If it helps I’m pretty sure he’s in love with you too but he’s being cagey with me.”

Fili watched her, struck dumb and silent.

“Have a nice morning, Fili,” Milena said, finishing her coffee and tossing it in the big green oil drum they had set aside for trash. “I’ll see you at the gala. Oh, and because I wouldn't be a big sister without saying this, if you break his heart I'm going to break your face.”

Fili lifted his hand and waved as she walked to her car, got in, and drove off. He sat there on the picnic bench trying to process what she had said. He didn’t love Kili, did he? He couldn’t. Love was...love. It wasn’t something for him. He didn't even believe in love. It was something that happened to other people. This wasn't actually his life. It was going to blow up on him sooner or later and he'd run. That's what he did. He could not possibly love him.

And yet, he couldn't imagine his life without Kili. He wanted to wake up next to him as many times as possible, wanted to see him smile, hear him laugh, watch him fall apart under Fili's hands and mouth and cock. He wanted to play house with him, live together, be sickeningly domestic together. 

Fuck. He did love him.

:::

Kili was just finishing his lunch as his cell rang. He swallowed and picked up. "Hey Lena," he said as he took a sip of his drink. "What's up?"

"He's cute," she said as greeting. 

"Who's cute?" Kili asked. He leaned back in his chair and snagged a chip.

"Fili," Milena said. "Stopped by to see him earlier. He's absolutely adorable. And he seems to be a total sweetie. I approve."

Kili groaned. “Milena, I honestly don’t care if you agree or not with who I date.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’re bringing him to the gala, because you honestly don’t care?” she asked, mimicking his words the way only a sibling can. “Kili, I love you desperately and I know things have happened but--”

“Why is it that every time we have a conversation about my relationships that he always comes up?” Kili asked. “It was a decade ago. He wasn’t even the first. I don’t know why everyone is so caught up on the fact that I would willingly--”

“Do not get me started,” Milena snapped. “He took advantage of you.”

“No, he really didn’t,” Kili said with a sigh.

“Then why did you quit?” Milena demanded.

Kili pulled his coke over to him by grabbing the papers the bottle was resting on and dragging them closer. He twisted the cap off and took a slow drink of it to avoid answering.

“God, little bro, you piss me off something fierce sometimes,” Milena said. “You changed when you made the US team. It started when you qualified and then just kept going.”

“I was sixteen,” Kili said.

“Funny, the same age as a lot of your students,” Milena said. “Are you trying to make up for something?”

“What did you and Fili talk about?” Kili asked, changing the subject. 

“Fine, we’ll change the subject. Brat. Mostly I let him talk about you,” Milena said. “I’m pretty sure he loves you but he went white when I said that. Though he’s letting you drag him to this event so who knows.”

“I told him it’s free booze and good food,” Kili said, setting the coke down. “It’s the truth after all.”

“I didn’t want to fight with you, Kee, I just wanted to let you know that I approve of this one.”

“You never approve,” Kili said. He was more than a little suspicious of the whole matter. 

“Are you complaining that I finally approve of one of your crushes?” Milena asked. “Seriously? Why?”

Kili closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know. I’m naturally suspicious. I’m thrilled you like him, I really am, but part of me is absolutely terrified what that means.”

“You like him enough that you’re panicking at the thought of more. When’s the last time you had a relationship that went past three months, kid? And even then it’s more sex than anything else.”

“Jesus fucking Christ I am not having a sex talk with my big sister,” Kili groaned, looking up at the clock and praying for the lunch period to end quickly.

“You’re twenty-six, Kee. You should be married and making babies by now. If not making them with a girl, adopt. You should be settling down and enjoying life and the mundane things in life. Not hopping from bed to bed because you’re searching for something you’re never going to find.”

Kili chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully as Milena continued to berate him for his casual and sometimes callous attitude toward relationships. He had always been searching for something, hadn’t he? Even when he was a kid he had gone through friends like tissues because no one was exactly what he needed them to be. Even the US team hadn’t done it for him because there was some giant, missing, aching void in him. He hadn’t felt that void at all since he’d met Fili. Was it that easy? Was Fili really the missing piece of him he’d needed for so long?

“Hunh,” Kili murmured. “You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right,” Milena said. “I’m your big sister. I’m always right.”

Kili rolled his eyes and smiled, letting her get away with it. “I have been searching for something, but I think I found it.”

“Oh?” Milena asked.

“Yeah. Fili,” Kili said.

Milena was silent for a moment before she sighed and laughed a little. “You’re hopeless. The both of you. Totally made for each other.”

“Love you too, sis,” Kili said. “Look, I gotta go. The little hellions will be back from lunch any moment and I still have to make copies of their pop quiz.”

“Later, little bro. We should get together for dinner at some point, the whole family,” Milena said.

“Only if you want me to punch Rivet,” Kili said cheerfully. “Bye!” He hung up the phone and tossed it on his desk, humming slightly. The gala thing would turn out to be all right, he just knew it.

:::

Fili had amassed a small pile of glass arrowheads on his desk over the past two weeks. A few had disappeared the last time Kili had swung by (three days ago, he’d been dragging Fili to a suit fitting) and Fili had seen them strung up in Kili’s apartment by his desk. The other man had somehow managed to wrap jeweler’s wire around the base of each and secured them to a bit of fishing line in the window. They had looked amazing, sparkling with the city lights around them, and even better in the morning, throwing light around the room as they swung in the gentle breeze.

He was working on something else now, something a little more involved: the archer from his drawings. He’d been drawing him in various poses, all of them tugging at the corner of him mind like something he should remember, should know, but didn’t. Many of them were functional poses, crouching or standing with his legs grounded, but Fili was an artist. He wanted lines, strong and graceful like the archer was.

He started with blue glass, a specific shade that had taken his vendor almost three weeks to find. He formed the body of the archer, one leg stretched out behind him and one leg folded to his chest with his foot firmly on the ground, the back bowed into a beautiful curve--the same kind of curve Kili’s had been last night when he’d rode Fili, head thrown back and gorgeous as he had come--and his arm stretched up toward the heavens clutching empty air. Fili had already carved a tiny resin bow for the statue with an arrow notched and would slide it into the figurine’s hand when it was complete, but for now it looked breath taking. The figure’s other arm he had pulled back, the curled hand by the ear of the figure. It seemed important, almost, the Fili give it Kili’s long loose hair but it wouldn’t translate properly into glass; instead the figure was given a ponytail, strands curled and blown like a horse’s tail would be. 

It took the week up to the gala for Fili to get it just right. It wasn’t perfect but then no art is. He secured the figure onto a broad flat base and left it to cool. 

:::

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Dwalin muttered as he finished tying his tie. 

“These things are the single most boring events of the year,” Thorin said as he ran his fingers through his hair. “You don’t have to be part of the pictures or smile or anything with these people. You can just sit back and enjoy the free food and drink.”

“I’m there to make sure you have someone to talk to in between trying to get people to write you big checks,” Dwalin said. “I got it. This place gonna have a tv or something? The Red Sox are playing Houston and I want to see the game. We’ve been kicking ass and taking names this season and I wanna cheer our boys on.”

Thorin snorted. “I’m sure you can sneak out to the lobby and catch the highlights.”

“Or I can sit at the table with your fancy little phone and watch the game that way,” Dwalin said. 

“Or you could do that,” Thorin said as he wandered around Dwalin’s apartment. He stopped and stared at the glass and carved statue sitting on the window sill. He reached out with a shaking hand and picked it up. The coloring on the dragon was wrong, but it was the gates of Erebor to the smallest detail. Dale had been included in it, a little closer than in reality because of the size of the statue, but it was there. He could even seen little people on the wall running from the dragon.

“It’s good, right?” Dwalin asked from behind Thorin. “Fili made it.”

Thorin set it down carefully. “Erebor,” he murmured sadly.

“Thorin?” Dwalin asked, his breath catching on his name.

Thorin looked at Dwalin, his wide eyes, and looked back at the statue. He tucked his shaking hands into his pockets. If he did... How could he word this that the curse would let him say the words? There had to be a way. As he thought, Dwalin’s face lost the bit of hope and he shook his head. Thorin reached out and gripped Dwalin’s elbow and remembered that cursed email he’d gotten. He had never tried writing down what he had wanted to say to Dwalin before. Would the curse let him?

“Do you have a pen?” he asked.

Dwalin frowned but got him one, and a pad of paper. Thorin took them both and wrote slowly, just in case: I REMEMBER. ALWAYS. YOU?

“Fuck,” Dwalin whispered. He grabbed the pen and underlined I REMEMBER.

“Kili, Fili,” Thorin started, “do they--” He broke off in a fit of coughs, the feeling of pressure on his throat growing as his coughs turned hard. Dwalin was swearing, pounding him on the back and offering him a bottle of water. Thorin grabbed it, trying to breathe through the fit, and closed his eyes. Writing would work. He had to remember that. Writing it would work, but would it work with everything?

:::

“You should be labelled illegal,” Fili said when he saw Kili in his pinstripe suit. Kili had snagged him a black affair with a crisp white shirt and a black tie but he was wearing pinstripes with a dark red tie and white shirt and looked gorgeous. His long hair was pulled back into a ponytail and his stubble was trimmed and orderly.

“I was thinking the same about you,” Kili said, coming over to run his hands through Fili’s hair. “You look perfect in this.”

Fili smiled and tilted his chin up to kiss Kili. “Let’s get out of here so I can drag you back home and peel you out of this suit.”

“Pinstripes a secret kink?” Kili asked, laughing.

“Apparently,” Fili said. “Fuck.” Kili shook his head at him and turned to get his keys. “No, wait. I’ve changed my mind. Kili, I order you to change. Those pinstripes and your ass, no. I’m not sharing this with anyone. Strip, right now!”

Kili laughed and grabbed his keys and phone, sliding them into his pockets and checking that he had his wallet. “C’mon, Casanova. The limo is waiting downstairs.”

Fili chuckled softly and followed him out of the apartment and downstairs. “This is a whole lotta firsts for me,” he said.

“Oh?” Kili asked as he slid into the limo, the driver holding the door open for them. “So, first suit, first limo?”

“First suit, first limo, first fancy party,” Fili said as he slid in after Kili. The door was shut firmly and the driver walked around to get back in and took the limo out of park. “I am so far out of my depth here.”

Kili hit a button that caused the divider between them and the driver to be raised and he slid into Fili’s lap. “I can give you another first too.”

“I don’t think it’d be a good idea for us to have sex right now,” Fili said, one hand on Kili’s hip as he wrapped his other around his waist. 

Kili leaned in and kissed him. “Who said anything about sex? I was talking about making out.”

“I doubt you’ve ever necked in the back of a car when you were a teenager,” Fili said. “Spoiled little rich kid.”

Kili nipped FIli’s lip before kissing him. “Not that spoiled.”

Fili tugged Kili’s hair free from his ponytail. “I don’t care. You wanna make out with me then you’re gonna have to shut up.”

Kili kissed him, smiling against his lips. Fili leaned back against the comfortably plush leather seats, getting comfortable, as he kissed Kili back. They kept it light and teasing, keeping their lips on each other’s, teasingly tangling tongues together every so often. One of Fili’s hand had migrated up to Kili’s hair, cupping the back of his head as they kissed. Kili moaned ever so softly, nipping Fili’s lip and squirming slightly. It was hard not to get aroused when the person you love is sitting in your lap kissing you senseless. 

“We should calm down,” Fili murmured as he leaned back, breaking the kiss. “Don’t want to make a mess when we haven’t even started the night.”

Kili laughed softly, smiling at FIli. “No, probably not.”

The driver rapped at the divide between them and his voice came over some sort of intercom in the car. “We’re two blocks away, Mr Durn.”

“Thanks,” Kili called out. He smiled at Fili, giving him one last kiss before sliding out of his lap. “Okay, need to think of unsexy things.”

Fili laughed. “You know, you never told me why we’re in a limo instead of a cab.”

Kili nodded. “Yeah, okay, that’s unsexy. So, this gala thing is a pretty big deal. Part of it is a fundraiser for the school, but the other main part of it is a fundraiser for a charity my family set up ages ago to help underprivileged kids in Boston. There’s a fair number of people who will earmark their checks for the school but most of the money goes to the charity. The cost of the tickets is something like $200 which covers food and drink and then there’s other bits to the whole thing that I really don’t care about.”

“Why the limo?” Fili asked.

“Because it’s a big deal and it’s expected of me,” Kili said, his voice raising an octave as if mimicking someone’s words. “I honestly don’t care but there will be people there who do, old family friends and the like. I would have said screw the taxi and taken the train but. Well.” Kili sighed. “It’s complicated. My whole family is one big label of complicated.”

“Exactly how rich are you?” Fili asked, frowning.

Kili shook his head. “No. We’re not going down that route. I am very happy to keep on as we are. I’m just an English teacher who teaches archery. Milena is an amazing pastry chef. RIvet...does nothing and that’s good for him because it means none of us ever see him. Brea is a student at UMass Amherst and wants absolutely nothing to do with any of us because she wants to do things her way without annoying siblings getting in her way. That’s my family. We’re normal. My parents weren’t. We’ll leave it at that.”

Fili reached out and dragged Kili against his side, kissing his cheek. “Sorry I asked.”

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” Kili sighed. “Look, how about we go for an hour and then get out of there and go grab a pizza at Sal’s? They make an amazing pie. It might not be Chicago pizza but it’s still good.”

Fili kissed him again, catching his lips this time. “Whatever makes you happy.”

Kili rolled his eyes at Fili and smiled, kissing him back. “You make me happy,” he said.

:::

"This is going to be an absolute disaster, isn't it?" Dwalin asked as he sat next to Thorin at their table. He'd brought a pad of paper and a pen to see how much they could talk about the past.

"Most likely," Thorin said. He had a beer bottle next to his elbow as he snagged the pad of paper. FILI? he wrote.

Dwalin took the pen and scribbled 50/50. At Thorin's glare Dwalin shrugged. He honestly didn't know if Fili remembered. His art suggested he remembered bits but maybe not the whole of it, and then only on conjunction with Kili. He wanted to tell them, ask them, but it was impossible. He was already watching Fili for any hint of him remembering, but he’d missed Thorin. Who knew what else he had missed.

"Shouldn't Kili be here by now?" he asked instead.

Thorin checked his watch. “Yes. He’s late.”

Dwalin was about to say something when he noticed Kili and Fili walking in together, Kili laughing at something Fili had said. He tapped Thorin’s hand and nodded toward the two. Thorin turned.

“Fucking hell,” he whispered.

“Haven’t seen him before?” Dwalin asked. He could have sworn...but Thorin shook his head. There was pain there, a pain Dwalin knew all too well, but there was also guilt. Dwalin nudged Thorin’s shoulder with his own. “Go say hi.”

Thorin got to his feet and took a deep breath before heading over to his nephews. Dwalin sat back and watched as he and Kili shook hands and Kili gestured to Fili. Thorin shook his hand too and the three talked for a moment before Thorin headed back to the table and Fili and Kili went to find theirs. Dwalin held out Thorin’s beer as the other man sat down.

“Well?” Dwalin asked.

Thorin took the beer and drained it in one go. He scribbled on the pad once he’d set the bottle down. I MISS THEM.

Dwalin nodded. “I know. I do too. Now, what do you say we put the game on?”

Thorin smiled slightly and nodded, digging out his phone and handing it over to Dwalin who promptly put ESPN on.

:::

“You know,” Fili said once they had drinks in hand and were making their way to their table. “I didn’t think there would be quite so many people here.”

“Boston loves to party,” Kili said with a smile. They sat down and Kili leaned over to kiss Fili’s cheek. “This is actually probably the best turn out ever. I’m pretty pleased.”

“Oh good, there you are,” a short redhead with a bowl cut and a beard said as he sat down. “I’m Ori Thompson, I write for the Globe. Just want to get a couple of comments from you before I take off.”

“Not a fan of parties?” Kili asked.

“Not so much,” Ori said. “Who’s your date?”

“Fili Sondis,” Fili said.

Ori was scribbling quickly on a pad of paper. “What do you do?”

“I’m a glassblower and artist,” Fili said.

“He’s excellent,” Kili said with a wide smile.

“You’re biased,” Fili said.

“You two are dating?” Ori asked.

“Yes,” Kili said just as Fili said no. Kili hesitated, a little stunned. “We only met two months ago. We’re kind of taking it one step at a time.”

Ori paused in his scribbling to look at them. “Okay. How do you like the attendance so far?”

“It’s been pretty good,” Kili said. “The Durn Foundation will probably be able to fund double its normal amount of scholarships this year. I don’t know much more than that, though. River is a much better person to address those questions to.”

Ori nodded. “Any reason your brother isn’t here tonight?”

“I think he said there was a meeting he had to make or something. Milena would know better.”

“She and her husband are catering it tonight, right?” Kili nodded. “I heard the Omni donated the use of the ballroom for tonight’s event.”

Kili shrugged. “I wouldn’t know anything about that. I’m honestly just here to look pretty for my school and the charity.”

Ori nodded and closed his notebook. “Thanks. I’m going to go see if I can grab a quote from your sister. Oh, one more thing.” He flicked his notebook open to a new page. “Your old coach is here tonight, Thranduil Wood. Any comment on seeing him again after all these years?”

Kili blinked at Ori for a moment before smiling. “He actually came?”

“I saw him walk in about ten minutes ago,” Ori said. “He was with his cousin, Elrond River.”

Kili chuckled. “Oh that’ll be interesting. I have no comment about it except that I’m thrilled he’s finally come to one of these parties. Usually he just sends a check and an excuse.”

“And the rumors that he sexually assaulted you when you were on the US archery team ten years ago?” Ori asked.

“Absolute fiction,” Kili said as he felt Fili stiffen beside him. “He helped me out a lot in a very rough patch in my life. The choice to quit was mine but he did work with me to try and keep me on the team. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

“Any regrets? The team did go on to win the gold.”

“None,” Kili said. “I have a degree and a job I’m thrilled with. I know Thranduil’s still coaching and I have a couple of really promising students I’d introduce him to.”

Ori looked sort of disappointed and closed his notepad again. “Thanks for your time.”

“No problem,” Kili said, waving as Ori walked off.

“So,” Fili said once they were alone again. “What happened with your old coach? You told me that you quit the team because it wasn’t what you wanted to do with your life.”

“Which is true,” Kili said. “What’s with saying we’re not dating?”

“It’s none of their business if we’re dating or not,” Fili said.

Kili hesitated and scooted closer to Fili, leaning against him the slightest bit. “Okay, full story with me and Thranduil. I’ve known him since I was about thirteen. He’s been the coach for the Olympic team since forever and my coach kept bragging about me to him. So he saw me and started working with me with the goal of the team. There was a lot of personal stuff going on at home that I kept getting in the middle of and it drove me crazy. I spent more time at the range than I did eating or sleeping. It was self-destructive but it got me on the team.”

“Which is when you started drinking your teammates under the table?” Fili asked, an arm going around Kili’s shoulders.

“Among other things,” Kili said. “I slept with anyone who caught my fancy and drank and got away with all of it because of who my parents were.” Kili sighed and took a sip of his drink, wincing at it. That damned bartender had watered it down. “Thranduil was going to kick me off the team because of everything that had happened. I wasn’t missing practice or getting worse at archery. If anything I was getting better and using different types of bows as if I were born to them. He didn’t like seeing me unhappy, though. Anyway, I slept with him to convince him to let me stay on the team. Which was monumentally stupid, but he let me. About half-way through the training camp I told him I couldn’t do it anymore and that I was quitting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look more proud of me than he had that time.”

“So what’s up with the assault theories?” Fili asked.

“I was sixteen, he was thirty-two,” Kili said with a shrug. “Someone snagged a picture of him kissing me and it spread like wildfire until my parents had it squashed. It didn’t impact his career and it didn’t affect me either. Milena thinks he’s the devil incarnate because she thinks, despite me telling her several times, that he took advantage of me. Also, the age of consent in Massachusetts is seventeen.”

“You’re not still holding a torch for him or anything, right?” Fili asked.

Kili smiled, leaning in to kiss Fili teasingly. “Darling, he was very good in bed, but you are better than anyone else. I’m pretty sure you’re it for me.”

:::

“Could I interest either of you two gentlemen in a nice glass of red wine? It’s got a rather fruit bouquet,” a man with trim silver hair and a nice full goatee asked. He was holding out a bottle of wine to Thorin and Dwalin with a very serious expression.

“No, thank you...?”

“Dori, sir,” the man said. “I am the head sommelier for the Omni Parker House. The head chef, Bombur, suggested I find something to go along with your meals.”

Thorin nodded. “I appreciate that, but my friend is really more of a beer guy.”

“Trust me,” Dori said primly. “This wine will compliment your steaks fantastically.”

Dwalin’s lips twitched. “If I don’t like it?”

“I will bring you a sixteen ounce glass of Sam Seasonal,” Dori said.

“Why not,” Dwalin said with a chuckle. “It can’t be that horrible.”

“If you say so,” Thorin said with a smile. He reached for the pen and started writing out a list of names, putting a checkmark next to the ones he knew about.

Kili ✓  
Fili ✓  
Dori ✓  
Nori  
Ori ✓  
Bifur  
Bofur ✓  
Bombur ✓  
Balin  
Oin  
Gloin

Dwalin added his own checkmark next to Nori and tapped Bofur’s name with a frown.

“I remember seeing an article two years back about a man who invented a wonderful card game,” Thorin said. “It was very popular then, and I think it still is. If I remember correctly he made a significant amount of money off the whole thing.”

Dwalin wrote down two more names to the end of the list.

Bilbo  
Gandalf

Thorin hesitated and shook his head. He didn’t know.

“Why, look who we have here,” a man said from behind Thorin. “Thorin Oakley. And how are you today?”

Thorin turned and narrowed his eyes. “Filth,” he hissed.

Thranduil smiled. “Now, now. No need for name calling.”

“How dare you send that video?” Thorin said. “Did he even know you were recording it?”

Thranduil shrugged elegantly. “Does it matter? We are quite good friends, Kili and I.”

“Stay away from him, or so help me--”

“You’ll what?” Thranduil asked. “You have no claim on him. You can hardly dictate his life for him.”

“Thorn,” Dwalin said, putting a hand on Thorin’s arm and keeping him in his chair. “He’s not worth it.”

“No, I’m not,” Thranduil said with a smile. “And think how it would look, you causing bodily harm to one of your biggest donors?”

“Go to hell,” Thorin snapped. “We don’t need your money.”

“Thranduil!” Kili called, coming over to their table and hugging the tall blond man. “It’s been years! How have you been?”

“Christ, look at you,” Thranduil laughed. “You’re almost as tall as me!”

Kili smiled, looking pleased.

“Dwalin?” Fili asked. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Fili, lad, sit down,” Dwalin said, motioning to a chair next to him. “I know you’re not a Red Sox fan but you can hate Houston with me.”

“Hell yeah I’ll hate Houston,” Fili grinned. “They creamed the Bulls. Wrong sport and all, but I can still hate.”

Dwalin kept a firm hand on Thorin’s arm as he and Fili chattered on about the baseball game and team rankings. Thorin couldn’t care less about what they were talking about. All he could see was Thranduil and Kili, both talking amicably and smiling at each other.

“You should come by the school,” Kili invited. “I’ve got a student or two you should meet. Our club might be young but they’ve taken wonderfully to the bow.”

“I am looking for the next Team USA,” Thranduil said as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“How’s Legolas doing?” Kili asked. “Last I heard he hurt his shoulder in a car accident.”

“He’s doing better,” Thranduil said. “Physio twice a week for the next two months and he should be golden.”

“Tell him once he gets better to look me up. I’ve got a friend, Bard, who would love to meet him. Bard shoots primarily long bow, so he could give Legolas a pretty low stress practice if he wanted.”

“I’m sure you’re still excellent at the long bow,” Thranduil said as he arched an eyebrow.

Kili shrugged. “The recurve is still my baby.”

Thorin ground his teeth, trying to think of a plausible way to chase Thranduil off when he heard a feminine shout from across the room. A woman in kitchen garb with her long brown hair pulled back into a tight braid was stalking across the room at an alarming pace.

“Shit,” Kili said. “Run, I’ll distract her.”

Thranduil kissed Kili’s cheek, winking at Thorin. “It’s been a pleasure seeing you in person again, Kili. Send me your schedule and we’ll catch up over coffee.” He left without a backwards glance.

“Sure,” Kili said as he waved and went to head off the angry woman.

There were whispers throughout the room as Kili and the woman had a hissing match, most words lost in the general buzz of the room. Dori was staring, two glasses of wine on his tray, as Kili and the woman started gesturing at each other as they talked, their arms and hands moving rapidly as the volume between the two started to climb. A large, rotund man with closely cropped red hair stomped his way out of the kitchen. Thorin smiled slightly to see Bombur, watching as he clapped a hand over the woman’s mouth and said something that made Kili throw his hands in the air in frustration. There were more words and Kili shook his head, coming back toward the table and sighing.

“Sorry, Thorin, but I need to leave now,” Kili said with a glance over his shoulder. “Family drama is never pretty.”

“Of course,” Thorin said. “Completely understandable.”

Kili smiled, looking relieved, and leaned over Fili’s shoulder. “You coming with me or is baseball really that much more interesting than me?”

“That’s blasphemy,” Fili said. “Baseball is sacred.”

Thorin watched Kili whisper something in Fili’s ear and the blond flush slightly.

“Then again, I think I’ve got this game recording at home. Limo still out front?”

“Probably,” Kili said, looking smug. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Dwalin. It was very nice to meet you, Thorin,” Fili said as he stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Very nice. Uh, Kili, we’re going, right?”

Kili grinned and nodded in the direction of the door. Fili took his hand and practically dragged him, laughing, from the room. Dwalin started laughing, head tipped back and eyes closed in mirth, one hand wrapping around his belly. Thorin looked to the side, hand over his mouth to hide his smile. There was a prim cough from the side and Thorin looked up to see Dori back with their wine. The other man set the glasses down and arched a brow at the chortling Dwalin.

“Bring the beer anyway,” Thorin said. “Two of them, thanks.”

Dori nodded and left, his shoulder squared as he did so. Dwalin, noticing, laughed all the harder. Thorin gave in when he and Dwalin locked eyes and started laughing as well.

:::

The moment they got in the limo Fili pushed Kili down against the plush leather and kissed him hungrily. Kili groaned, hand flailing out to hit the button for the divide, send it closed, as his legs spread for Fili to rest against. Fili groaned, doing his best to get Kili out of the closely tailor pants without doing any damage to the fabric. Kili had already sat up enough to shuck the jacket and was pushing at Fili’s as the blond got Kili’s pants open.

“Please tell me you have something,” Fili said, kissing along Kili’s neck and scraping his teeth along his adam’s apple.

Kili groaned and lifted his hips as Fili pulled his pants off, leaving him in just his white Oxford. “Back pocket, wallet,” he said as he got rid of his boxer briefs. 

Fili grabbed at Kili’s pants and dug out his wallet, pulling the condom and single-use lube pack out. “Do I even want to know?” Fili asked as he let the wallet and pants drop back to the floor of the car.

“I was going to attack you in the bathroom later,” Kili said, lying back against the leather. “Limo sex is even better, though.”

Fili ripped open the condom and rolled it on before snapping the blister pack of lube open and slicked himself and his fingers. He slid two inside Kili, stretching the other man quickly, wanting nothing more than to be buried deep within his lover. Kili gripped his shoulders, face buried in his neck as he begged for more. Fili pulled his fingers out and pushed one of Kili’s legs up toward his chest before he pushed his cock inside the taller man.

“Yes,” Kili hissed, back arching slightly. “Fuck, FIli, give it to me.”

Fili kissed Kili, doing his best to swallow the other man’s noises as he fucked him. Kili had grabbed at him, urging him faster, harder, deeper and Fili could do nothing oblige. He didn’t bother touching Kili’s cock, or doing more than bracing himself above Kili and thrusting into him. Kili had a hand wrapped around his own cock and was stroking himself quickly as he urged Fili on with demanding words against his lips. It was hardly the best sex he’d ever had, but it was with Kili and that was enough for him. He came with a muffled shout as Kili arched down hard on him when the car slowed to a stop. Kili wasn’t very far behind, biting his lip as he came over his hand and shirt. 

“Gorgeous,” Fili murmured, taking Kili’s come stained hand and licking his fingers clean. Kili looked up at him with half-lidded eyes and smiled. “Would it be rude if I told you I couldn’t stay the night?”

Kili tugged him down for a kiss. “Tomorrow?”

“I think I can manage tomorrow,” Fili said. He slowly pulled out of Kili and peeled the condom off, tossing it in the convenient trash. “I found a place I want to take you to, it serves fantastic comfort food and amazing booze.”

“Yeah?” Kili asked. “You taking me to Applebee’s?”

Fili laughed and kissed him. “Nah, I was thinking Chili’s.”

Kili stretched under him, a happy smile on his face. “I’m happy with whatever you choose.”

Fili leaned down and kissed him. Kili made a pleased noise and kissed him back slowly. Kili broke the kiss first, nibbling his lip gently before leaning back to tap the intercom and giving the driver Fili’s address. They helped each other back into their clothes, nuzzling and stroking patches of bare skin as they went. Kili kissed him lazily once they were both clothed. 

“I ever tell you how gorgeous you are?” Fili asked, running his hands through Kili’s hair.

“I think you’re lying, but yes,” Kili said.

“I’m hardly lying,” Fili laughed. He looked up when the limo slowed to a stop and there came a tap at the divide. “We’re at mine already?”

Kili glanced out the window. “Looks like. Sure you can’t come back to mine?”

Fili kissed him, nipping his bottom lip. “I can’t. Tomorrow is Saturday, though. Once I finish up the project at work I’ll be right over.”

Kili ran his hands through Fili’s short hair. “Promise?”

“Of course,” Fili said as he leaned into the touch.

“Then I suppose you can go,” Kili said imperiously. 

Fili laughed and Kili quirked an eyebrow. “You’re a dork,” Fili said.

“Good thing you’re a dork too,” Kili said. “Otherwise we’d never work. Now get out of here before I decide to kidnap you.”

Fili opened the door and stepped out into the chilly night air. “Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow,” Kili said with a happy smile. “Thank you for coming tonight.”

“You’re welcome,” Fili laughed, loosening the tie he still had on. “Good night.”

Kili bit his lip and got out of the limo, coming over and wrapping his arms around Fili. Fili tugged the other man close and kissed his cheek. Kili was acting odd...

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kili said, pulling away with a hesitant smile.

“Of course,” Fili said, starting to frown.

Kili leaned in, brushing a quick kiss over Fili’s lips. “Love you. Sleep well.” 

He flashed a bright smile at Fili and ducked back into the limo before Fili could say anything. Fili just started as the door closed and the limo pulled back onto the road. Kili loved him. Fili smiled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his keys. Kili. Loved. Him. He was loved. He liked the feeling. He could feel the smile stretching across his face and he hummed as he climbed the stairs to the building’s door, unlocking the door and then climbing the two flights of stairs to his own apartment. Kili loved him. If he was perfectly honest, he loved the other man too. He already knew that and before it had made him panic. Now, though, all he wanted to do was call Kili and tell him that he loved him too. 

But no. No, he would tell him tomorrow when he saw him. He was going to tell him and maybe that would be it. Maybe he could ignore the running and the past and everything that had happened before and just...love. He could do that, couldn’t he? There wasn’t anyone stopping...

His door didn’t look right.

Fili leaned over and looked at the lock and felt his heart clench. It had been picked. He could see the little scratches near the lock that hadn’t been there yesterday. He tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. Fili tucked his keys back into his pocket and slowly pushed the door open, wishing he had a knife on him.

The lights were on and Fili watched as Jared walked out of the kitchen with a bottle of beer. 

“Hey bro,” Jared said with a smile, toasting him with the beer bottle. “You know, all you had to do was tell me that you were running your own scam on the Durns and I would have left well enough alone. Do you know how much money they have?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no regrets. ;)
> 
> Also, you remember that rollercoaster analogy I had at the beginning? Yeah, well. You just hit the top of the coaster, the bit at the beginning where you're all excited and bouncy and not yet terrified. But now you're at the top and you can see the rest of the coaster and the people on the ground look like ants and you could probably touch the clouds if you went even a little bit higher. Now, though, the car tips forward and you start screaming as you go hurtling down the track.
> 
> Yeah, that's where we are right now. Expect the happy fluff to stop and the real shit to begin.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU ARE ALL AWESOME PEOPLE. :D So I reward you for flooding my inbox with love with MORE FIC. Little on the short side (compared to last one) but hey. It has a good spot to end. And this is probably the last update you'll see this week until maybe Friday(ish?). Or. Well. Who knows. :D

Fili licked his lips, tossing his keys onto the coffee table. “What’re you doing here, Jared?”

“Came to see you,” Jared said. “Was going to see if I could convince you to stop being a dick and get back in the game.” Jared sat down on Fili’s broken in old couch he’d found on the side of the road. “Gotta tell ya, bro, did not expect to see you getting out of a Durn limo.”

“What do you know about them?” Fili asked, hiding his shaking hands by putting them in his pockets.

“The folks were nasty pieces of work, just like any rich jackass, but they had money. There’s charities and trust funds and real estate all over the eastern seaboard. They had this awesome great big house in Newton but the kids sold it when the folks bit the dust. So there’s tons of money. The eldest son has some swanky penthouse in the Back Bay, the eldest daughter lives with her husband and three kids in Newton. Your boy owns the building he lives it, or the family does. Old brownstone, worth lots of money,” Jared said, sipping his beer. “And the youngest sister lives in a dorm on campus at her college but she’s got a really sweet car.”

Fili nodded slowly and went into the kitchen to grab himself a beer. 

“Vaughn’s finding us a place to stay for the night,” Jared shouted. “Figure we can leave Gemma’s idea for a few, help you out with yours.”

“No,” Fili said, coming back out with his own beer. “Kili’s my mark. He’s a sweet guy, gullible. I can probably get a lot of the liquid assets if I play my cards right.” He took a deep drink of his beer. “He’s already in love with me.”

“What changed?” Jared asked. “I mean, you never really went in for the honey pot scams before.”

“Met someone in rehab who gave me a different outlook on it,” Fili said. “And, like I said, he’s sweet. It’s easy.”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Jared said. He dug around in his jacket pocket and tossed an orange prescription bottle at Fili. “We knocked over a pharmacy before we got in state. Vaughn said you’d probably need those. We’ve got...muscle relaxers, pain killers, all high quality candy for my big bro.”

Fili turned the bottle over in his hand. Flexeril. 10mg tablets. The bottle was full of them.

Jared got to his feet and gave Fili an rib cracking hug. “It’s good to see you. I see you got a new number so I left mine on the fridge. We’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Fili said, staring at the bottle in his hand. 

Jared laughed, clapping Fili on the shoulder, and left. Fili stood there, turning the bottle over in his hand. He got undressed in the living room and went into the bedroom with his beer and the bottle. He should reach out to someone, Dwalin maybe, and talk to them about this. About Jared. About the drugs. 

But he knew what he had to do. If he stayed then Kili was in danger. Fili had always been the nice one, the one they didn’t expect to rip them off, to set them up to be hit by Jared and Gemma. Vaughn was the one who cleaned up the mess if anyone caught onto them. Vaughn killed people. Fili sat down on the bed and opened the bottle. He shook out three of them into his hand and looked at them.

Three round little yellow pills. 

Fili threw them back and chased them with the last of his beer. 

He knew what he had to do tomorrow. It would break his heart but anything was better than the alternative.

:::

Kili picked up the phone with a smile. “Hey Fili,” he greeted. “You free for the rest of the day?”

“Yeah, sort of. I need to talk to you. Can I come over?”

Kili hesitated, the smile falling off his face. Fili didn’t sound right. He sounded kind of not-there, tired, stripped down to nothing. “Yeah, sure,” Kili said. “I’m here all day.”

“I’ll be right over then,” Fili said. He hung up before Kili could say anything else.

He set his phone down and frowned. Something wasn’t right. None of this felt right. He went into the kitchen and fixed himself some coffee, bringing a stack of tests with him to grade while he waited. He was teaching Oedipus to his sophmore class and had tested them on it on Thursday. He graded the papers while he waited for the coffee and then poured himself a mug while he waited for Fili. There was this sick pit in the bottom of his stomach. Something was wrong. 

When the door buzzer went off he was up and out of his chair in moments. He buzzed Fili in and held the door open. Fili came up the stairs slowly, not looking quite all there. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and a leather jacket Kili hadn’t seen before. Fili kept his hands in his pockets as he passed Kili and went into the living room.

“Are you okay?” Kili asked. “You look a little weird.”

Fili waved a hand. “Yeah, I’m good. Look, we need to talk.”

Kili felt his heart clench and closed the door behind him. “Nothing good ever comes of those words,” he said, trying to smile. “Is...is this about what I said last night?”

“Sort of,” Fili mumbled. He sat on the couch and rubbed the back of his neck. “So, look. This...thing. It’s gotta end.”

“What?” Kili asked, sinking into an armchair opposite Fili. “What do you mean, end?”

“You know how I told you my brother was in jail for being a con man? Yeah, well, he wasn’t the only one. I never get caught cuz I’m the nice one, the sweet one, the one you stupid fucks never see coming.”

Kili tried to breathe.

“So he got nabbed, my darling brother did, and then my boyfriend had to run because someone saw him dumping a body. Honestly, they’re really not all that bright. I thought, hey, let’s start over in a new city somewhere no one knows about me. It’ll be great. I checked myself into rehab so I could function without the drugs and I moved here. To Boston. Fucking Boston. All of you people with your Red Soxs and your drinking and partying and all the goddamned bullshit about Southie this and Fenway that. Oh your city’s better, fuck New York, blahblahblah. God this city pisses me off. Sports are really not that goddamned serious.”

“Fili?” he whispered.

“You know, I knew who you were in that bar,” Fili said, looking at Kili. “Who wouldn’t know you? You and your family were always in the news. It was like god was blessing me, throwing such a sweet mark my way. Not like it was all hardship, you being a great lay and everything. Though, fuck, you could learn to lay off the kinks. Sounding and all that shit’s a little too much, y’know? I mean, who likes getting metal rods shoved in their dick? Tying you up, though, that’s just icing. Spanking and dildos are all normal, but the rest? Who the hell would ever like being cut up with a knife? That’s just gross. You know how fucked in the head you are?”

Kili sat there silently. He couldn’t focus, couldn’t think. Fili wasn’t saying these things, he wasn’t. This wasn’t his Fili, this wasn’t the man he loved. It couldn’t be, this couldn’t be real.

“You know, I never thought you’d be that easy. Two months in and you’re already saying you love me. You love me? You don’t even know me. Some scores just aren’t worth it, y’know? And you, fuck, you’re just not worth it. You’re not worth love. Fuck, your own parents didn’t give a shit about you or what you wanted. You want love, you want connection? You should go back to sleeping with anything that moves. Or, hell, go back to that old coach of yours. I swear I saw the guy pop a boner when you hugged him last night.”

“This...this isn’t real,” Kili whispered.

Fili was up and out of his chair, grabbing Kili’s chin and forcing his head back against the chair. “Wake up, princess, this is real. You people make me sick. Have you ever had to work for anything in your life or has it all just been handed to you?” Fili’s fingers dug into his jaw, nails gouging his skin. “It’s been a nice ride and I’m gonna miss your ass, but putting up with you and your shit isn’t worth it anymore.”

Kili swallowed thickly, letting out a tiny whimper as Fili pushed away from him and stalked towards the window. He reached up and grabbed the fishing line Kili had used to string up the arrows and sent them crashing, shattering, to the floor before he stalked out of the apartment, slamming the door shut. Kili sat there, too stunned to move, unsure of how long he had been there. He got shakily to his feet and looked at the shattered glass on the floor.

He reached down and started picking up the shards, uncaring when he cut himself. What did physical pain matter when your heart had already been ripped to shreds?

:::

Fili went to the forge. He dug the pills out of his pocket and popped another one in his mouth, swallowing it dry. The wonderful thing about Flexeril was that it wasn’t habit forming. You could take it as often as you wanted and stop at any point. Fili had missed it, the way it dragged at his limbs and mind, the way the world went slightly fuzzy as he fought the urge to sleep. 

He barely remembered what he said to Kili, only that the man looked like he had punched him in the stomach. Fili had done his best to make sure that Kili wouldn’t come looking for him, but he couldn’t get the stricken look on Kili’s face out of his head. He didn’t deserve to have it out of his head. He deserved nothing less.

“Fili? Where the hell have you been?” Dwalin demanded as Fili stumbled into the forge.

Fili ignored him, going over to his table and staring at the glass archer. He picked it up, looking at it and how carefully he had recreated the memory, how he had turned that man in his dreams into reality. He let go of the statue and let it shatter on the grey concrete of the floor.

“Fili!” Dwalin shouted, grabbing him by the shoulder and shaking him.

“I’m leaving,” he said. “I’m sorry, Dwalin, I am. I can’t... They came back for me.”

“What about Kili?” Dwalin demanded. 

Fili started laughing, hiding his face in his hands as the laughter turned into sobs. He fell to his knees in the glass, uncaring of the pain and he cried. Dwalin went to his knees and wrapped his arms around Fili, trying to soothe him. Dwalin rubbed his back, murmuring nonsense to calm him.

“I broke up with him,” Fili said once he could speak past the lump in his throat. “Told him he was just a mark.”

“Fili, why would you do that?” Dwalin asked.

“Vaughn and Jared...they’re here,” Fili said. “Vaughn would kill him. I can’t have that. I. I can’t. I’ve gotta leave. They’ll follow me and leave Kili alone.”

“And where are you gonna go?” Dwalin asked. 

“Somewhere,” Fili said miserably. “Somewhere they won’t find me, or I won’t care if they do.”

“Why don’t you stay with me for a couple of days,” Dwalin suggested. “Let us try and figure something out for you. You don’t want to be running your whole life, kid.”

“I’ve always been running,” Fili said. “It’s all I know.”

“Then maybe,” Dwalin said, “you need to learn how to stand.”

:::

Kili hesitated before picking up his phone and dialing a number he hadn’t dialed in years.

“Hello,” the man on the end greeted.

“Thran?” Kili asked. “It’s Kili. Do...do you think I could come over?”

“Kili? Are you okay?” Thranduil asked.

Kili laughed bitterly. “No. I. Fuck, I just got dumped.”

“Maybe you should call your sister,” Thranduil suggested.

“I called you,” Kili said softly. Thranduil was silent and Kili closed his eyes, waiting for another rejection.

“Legolas is out for the night with some friends of his,” Thranduil said. “He’ll be gone all weekend.”

“Thank you,” Kili whispered.

“I’ll see you soon?” 

“Within the hour,” Kili said.

:::

“He’s on the move, sir.”

“Grab him. Bring him to me.”

“Yes, sir.”

:::

Kili took a shower and cleaned the cuts on his hand before calling a taxi. He didn’t pack a bag or anything, just grabbed a coat, his keys, wallet, and phone. He ran his hands through his loose hair as it dried in the warm air. He didn’t know what he was going to do right now, or even when he got to Thranduil’s, but he needed to do something.

His phone rang and he glanced at it, declining the call when he saw it was Bard. He and Milena had been calling all day and he’d sent each call to voicemail. He didn’t want to talk about Fili, or tell them he’d been dumped, or listened to any of that. He couldn’t handle it right now without losing it.

He got in the cab when it pulled up and gave the driver Thranduil’s address. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the window. He tried not to think of anything, to empty his head, but he couldn’t. He could only feel the marks Fili had left behind on his jaw.

Kili opened his eyes and watched the city pass him by. He started reciting baseball scores, archery matches, anything sports related in his head to stop thinking. 

He never saw the car coming as it smashed into the taxi. His head hit the window and pain flared bright before he lost consciousness. He never felt the hands grabbing him and pulling him from the wreck. He didn’t feel it when they threw him in the back of the van.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look at that. A new chapter already. A liiiittle on the short side but it's a good place to stop. I feel like I'm spoiling you guys, updating so often. I'd say don't get used to it, but I'm not sure if I won't update as often as I have been. 
> 
> For all of you lovely people who commented, I will get back to all of you but I just want to say a general thanks and I'm glad all of you are enjoying the story so far! A lot of you were wary about a whole modern!au reincarnation fic and I'm glad this is enjoyable even with your wariness. :D It's not a normal reincarnation story and it's actually been really fun to write it like this. 
> 
> Anyway, I must away to work but I LOVE ALL OF YOU! (´∀｀)♡

It was Bifur who heard the news first.

“Balin,” he said, poking his head into his superior’s office. “You’re gonna wanna get this assignment for us.”

“What assignment?” Balin asked, not looking up from the paperwork on his desk.

“There was an accident with a taxi on Mass Ave,” Bifur said. “Driver was DOA and the passenger is missing. Wallet and phone left behind, both belonging to a one Kili Durn.”

Balin looked up at Bifur. “Kili?”

“Kili,” Bifur confirmed.

“All right,” Balin said, leaning back in his chair. “You get Gloin and I’ll clear it with the higher ups. We could say it’s a major crime and falls under our department.”

“Traffic wants it,” Bifur said.

“It’s a kidnapping, that’s a major crime,” Balin said as he stroked his short beard.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Bifur said.

“Make sure no one touches anything at the scene.”

“I know SOP,” Bifur said. “It’s even more important now. We need to rescue our prince.”

:::

Dwalin had taken Fili back to his apartment and put the other man to bed. He helped undress him, Fili too out of it to do much more than lift an arm or move so that Dwalin could remove his jacket, shirt, shoes, and jeans. Dwalin tucked FIli into his bed, closing the bedroom door behind him and going through his pockets. He found the bottle of muscle relaxers and sighed.

He looked at the label and went over to his laptop, typing in the name of the drug. Not recommended for long term use...non habit forming...mild sedative... Nothing overtly dangerous. What was dangerous was Fili’s mindset. Dwalin looked at the bottle, debating whether or not to throw it out, and finally went into the kitchen and hid it in his mother’s old cookie jar.

Dwalin picked up his phone and sent Thorin a quick text, telling him should get over here ASAP. He picked up Fili’s phone and flipped through his text messages and call history. Almost everything was Kili. Text messages that had Dwalin chuckling and almost nonstop calls between the two. He checked the gallery on a whim and found more pictures of Fili’s art or bits of scenery he was using as inspiration. There was, however, a couple of Kili. Ones of him sleeping, ones of him laughing and trying to push the phone away, ones of him eating and grading, mundane pictures between two people dating. There were three pictures that Dwalin saw as a thumbnail and promptly exited from the gallery.

As much as he cared for his princes he did not need to see pictures of them in bed together.

He didn’t know what to do to help Fili. If this had been before he would have killed Jared and Vaughn to eliminate the threat to the Durins but that’s not an option in this world. There’s not a lot he can do personally and it frustrates the hell out of him. He knows what he would do in the past but none of it would work now.

He had to wonder why they were given this second chance. It seems more like they are being punished than rewarded, unable to speak of the past and being scattered across the world. Hadn’t they bled and died for the right, for the chance, to be happy without the need to reclaim their lost home? The princes more than any of them deserved to live their lives happily.

Instead they were cursed.

:::

“All right, we’ve got the taxi sealed and in evidence and we pulled all the traffic cam footage,” Gloin said as he shoved a stick of gum in his mouth. “The crime lab has already dusted for prints and says there’s too many to have a solid lead on that front for a couple of days.”

“Taxis,” Bifur said with a shrug. “Almost as bad as hotel rooms.”

“The wallet and phone were left behind which means they frisked him before taking him,” Gloin said. “Not the smartest thing, leaving the wallet. Means we know who was taken.”

“Question is, who took him? Someone after the Durns or the other us,” Bifur said as he picked up the evidence bag with Kili’s phone in it. He ripped the bag open and turned the phone on. “He’s got a swipe code on this thing. I can probably figure it out.”

“We should contact the family,” Gloin said, chewing his gum thoughtfully. “We could have a rookie do it.”

“You just don’t want to have to deal with panicky people,” Bifur said as he tilted the phone this way and that under a light.

“The women always start crying,” Gloin grunted.

“Lads,” Balin said as he came into the office. He was carrying a newspaper which he set down on the desk. “Look what we’ve got.”

Bifur set the phone down on his desk and looked over Balin’s shoulder as Gloin did the same. It was a story on a fundraising gala that had been held the previous night. There were pictures of Kili with a blond man and then a picture of a tall man with black hair and a trim beard with a similarly tall man with a bald head and beard.

“Kili and Fili,” Bifur said. 

“And Thorin and Dwalin,” Gloin said. He looked up at Balin. “This can’t be a coincidence.”

Balin tapped the paper again at the byline. Written by Ori Thompson.

“It’s starting, isn’t it?” Bifur asked.

“Something certainly is starting,” Balin said. “Can you get into Kili’s phone, Bif?”

Bifur nodded and went back to the phone, examining the screen before turning the power on and swiping at the lock code. The phone unlocked.

“Rather anticlimactic,” Gloin said.

“I want his contacts,” Balin said. “We need the ones for Fili and Thorin.”

“We’ll send a rookie to tell the family,” Gloin said. “We’ll focus on tracking down the other three.”

Bifur shook his head at Gloin and grabbed a pad of paper and started writing numbers down. He’d turn the phone over to the tech guys later to see what they could find, but they needed those numbers now. 

:::

“How’s he doing?” Thorin asked softly as Dwalin let him into the apartment.

Dwalin shook his head. “He’s out. I don’t know how many he took but it was enough that he’s been asleep for a couple hours now.”

Thorin nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re going to need to explain this whole thing to me.”

“I don’t know all of it,” Dwalin said. “I know what Fili has told me.”

“Please, old friend,” Thorin said as he sat down on the couch.

Dwalin sat next to him and leaned back into the cushions. “Fili has a younger brother, Jared. They were young when their mother died and their father took off before Jared was born. They went into the system and somehow met up with Vaughn. They ran away from the group home after a couple of months and lived on the streets. Fili started distracting people while Jared and Vaughn stole what they needed. They liked the thrill, Fili said, and they started stealing more than what they needed and it kept escalating. Vaughn started killing people who got too close to their little group and Jared started coming up with schemes to make them more and more money. Fili was always the one who distracted the mark while the others cleaned them out.”

“Okay,” Thorin said. “The drugs?”

“You know how Fili is,” Dwalin said. “he’s a good kid with a good head on his shoulders. He knew what they were doing was wrong and it started getting away from him. He told me once that he started sleeping around to forget what was going on, that maybe he’d find someone he could trust enough to let him make a break from his brother, but he never found it. He met Gemma, Jared’s girlfriend, and the drugs started so he could forget what they were doing. It kept on with just the four of them for a while and then Jared got arrested and Vaughn got caught dumping a body and ran. Gemma vanished and Fili checked himself into rehab.”

“And he came here because you offered him a place,” Thorin said.

Dwalin shrugged. “More or less. He’s been remembering since he got here, Thorn. The art and Kili, things are starting to slot together for him. Only now Jared and Vaughn are back and he broke up with Kili to keep him out of it.”

Thorin scrubbed his face with his hands. “And we can’t make him remember. He has to do it himself.”

“You know this for a fact?” Dwalin asked.

“I kept trying to get you to remember when we were kids,” Thorin said. “I gave up. It’s like this--whatever it is--wants us to suffer for something. We can’t talk about it directly but indirectly is fine and one has to remember for themselves, if they remember at all.”

“Magic,” Dwalin said with a grimace.

“But who’s?” Thorin sighed.

“Does it matter?” Dwalin said. “It’s magic. Magic is a pain in the goddamned ass no matter who it’s from.”

Thorin was about to say something when his phone rang. He dug it out of his jeans and frowned when he didn’t recognize the number. Swiping the screen, he answered. “This is Thorin Oakley.”

“Thorin,” the voice at the other of the line said. “It’s Balin. We need to talk. Kili’s been kidnapped.”

:::

Kili woke tied to a chair with his head pounding. He didn’t know where he was and it took him a second to even remember who he was. His head hurt so much and his vision kept flickering black. Nothing was making sense. One moment he was seeing the wide empty space of a warehouse and the next he was seeing a bloody battlefield full of people being slaughtered by monsters and screaming.

He groaned, squeezing his eyes closed and let his head fall to his chest. His stomach was joining his head, letting him know how absolutely unhappy it was with him. He could feel the sickening lurch and knew he was going to throw up and tried to swallow it down. He looked up when he heard footsteps echoing to see a tall, pale man. He was bald and had red eyes and pale, pale skin. There were scars on his scalp and he was made of pure muscle. Kili swallowed instinctively.

“Looks like you’re finally awake,” he said. “Do you remember me, brat?”

Kili shook his head and groaned. Oh fuck, that was a really bad idea. His stomach rebelled and he turned his head to the side as he threw up. It was nothing but bile and it burned as he retched. The pale man had taken two steps back and waited for him to finish. Kili gasped for air, his head still swimming badly.

He looked at the man as he panted. His vision dimmed and swam and he saw a pale monster with a claw for a hand bearing down on him with an ugly sneer on his face. Kili flinched at the image, blinking his eyes rapidly to try and clear such a terrifying sight.

“You killed me,” the man said, coming in close and grabbing Kili by his hair. “You piece of shit. The Durins will pay for what you did to me before. Your brother’s next. He killed my son. But you, you killed me. It’s personal.”

Kili strained against his bonds as the man dragged him upright by his hair with a whimper. He was practically lifting Kili out of the chair and it hurt so much. He was surprised his hair hadn’t come out by the roots yet. The albino let go of him with a sneer and smacked him across the face. 

“What is my name,” he demanded.

Kili looked up at him, trying to breathe through the pain. “I don’t know,” he said hoarsely.

“Wrong answer,” the man said. He punched Kili in the stomach and Kili gagged as his body tried to vomit again. “Who am I?”

“I don’t know!” Kili shouted. There were tears streaming down his face. He didn’t want this. He didn’t know what this even was. His head was pounding, images flickering faster behind his eyelids as he squeezed his eyes shut. 

Fili. All he saw was Fili. He was different, with long hair and elaborate braids, a mustache braided as well, and a fond smile as he looked at Kili. He saw him as a child, no beard or mustache but blond stubble and his hair was shorter. He was looking bossy with his hands on his hips as he said something Kili couldn’t hear. He saw him again, on that bloody battlefield, two swords in his hands as he hacked and thrust, blood splattering on his face. 

His head ached so much. He groaned, head tipping back as the pale man in front of him punched and smacked him, always demanding to know who he was. Kili’s vision went black as the chair fell to the side from the force of the man’s blows. His head hit the cold concrete again and he looked up at his tormentor.

“Azog,” he croaked. “Didn’t I kill you?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been insanely productive this week. I am impressed with myself. I'm waiting for the inevitable period where I won't write a word for weeks on end.
> 
> Anyway, I'm posting this now because people on Tumblr told me to. Because I was sitting there cackling over one of the scenes. Warning: I GET MORBID AND WEIRD FAST.

Dwalin opened the door when Balin knocked and grabbed his brother by the shoulders. Balin smiled and then gently brought their heads together. Dwalin closed his eyes in thanks as they pulled away.

"It is good to see you, brother," Balin said.

"And you," Dwalin said.

"Thorin," Balin said, grabbing Thorin's forearm and giving him a firm handshake. "It does my heart good to see you well."

Dwalin shook both Gloin and Bifur's hands, as did Thorin. Dwalin went into the kitchen to grab beer for everyone, stopping in the bedroom to check on Fili. He sat on the edge of the bed, listening to the murmurs in the living room, and checked Fili's pulse. It was slow and steady and Fili was still deeply asleep. Dwalin went to brush back some of Fili's hair and froze when his fingers came in contact with something wet. He turned on the bedside lamp and sighed softly.

Fili was crying in his sleep.

Did he know even now what was happening to Kili? How much of their prince had awoken in Fili? Was it enough to help him be strong enough to see things through with Jared and Vaughn, would it be enough to patch things up with Kili?

Dwalin turned the light off and closed the door. He fetched the beer and joined the others.

"Is he still asleep?" Thorin asked.

Dwalin nodded, cracking his beer open and taking a sip. "Out cold. Going on eight hours now."

“Who is?” Gloin asked as he took the beer and sat down with it.

“Fili,” Thorin said. “This hasn’t been the best day for anyone.” He looked at his beer and set it down on the coffee table. “Do all of you...?”

“Remember?” Balin asked. “Yes. We have for some time. It has been hard not to abuse police resources and find everyone that way, but we’ve done our best. We remembered almost at the same time. The three of us were pinned down during an operation and we were all almost surely dead. We fortunately survived but the...memories started coming back.”

“Always,” Thorin said. “Never anything else.”

“Dwalin?” Balin asked.

Dwalin shrugged, sipping his beer. “Just woke up one day and there they were.”

“Fili and Kili, do they?” Bifur asked, turning the can over and over in his hands.

Dwalin set his beer down and got up, carefully taking the statue down from the window sill. He grabbed the bag Fili had packed at the forge and brought out his sketchbook before setting both on the table. Balin picked up the statue of Erebor, turning it over in his hands while Bifur picked up the sketchbook.

“He remembers then?” Gloin asked.

Dwalin shook his head as he sat down. “Bits and pieces, mostly in the art. Kili seems to take his cues from Fili’s works.”

“Kili doesn’t remember anything,” Thorin said. “If he does then he doesn’t let on.”

“That doesn’t mean that whoever kidnapped him isn’t from the past,” Balin said as he set the statue back down.

“I can think of two people who would want Kili out of the way,” Dwalin said. “Fili’s life hasn’t exactly been...legal.”

“I think you’d better start at the beginning,” Thorin said.

Dwalin took a deep breath and started talking about Fili.

:::

All around him was darkness. He reached out, stumbling blindly, as he tried to feel his way around. He kept his arms out as he took careful steps but nothing changed. He kept walking, his eyes never quite adjusting to the unnatural blackness around him, straining his arms and never quite coming in contact with any sort of wall. He walked until his legs ached, his feet throbbing in his boots. Still there was nothing but the dark.

He squatted down, hands reaching down to touch the ground he walked on, and found nothing. He lost his balance and began to fall. He screamed but his voice was swallowed by the everlasting blackness around him. He began to pick up speed and he pulled his arms and legs in close against his chest and squeezed his eyes shut tight as he started praying.

He opened his eyes when he felt himself slowing only to see a bright shining rope stretching from his chest out into the darkness. He was still falling but it was slower and he began to right himself, putting his feet straight down and his arms out, and he stopped falling. His feet were on something solid once more and he knew better this time than to try and touch it.

He brought his hands up to his chest, feeling the solid weight of the rope anchored in his chest. It felt like metal, hard and unyielding, but also delicate like spun glass. He felt it, wrapping his hands around it, and began to follow it. It hummed at him, the length disappearing into his chest as he walked. He started to feel things, to remember things.

The touch of a hand against his cheek, the sound of joyous laughter, the warm puff of someone’s breath against his chest as if they were curled together. The feel of kisses against his lips: hungry and demanding, slow and sweet, quick and chaste. He saw flashes of loose, unbound brown hair swinging free as someone ran, the silver of a clip being placed in the hair, the quirk of lips as they smiled at him. Flashes, never a whole, and it frustrated him. 

He kept walking.

:::

Kili tried to breathe through the pain in his head and looked up at Azog. His ears were ringing. He could see the man’s mouth moving but only nonsense came out of his mouth. Kili closed his eyes and breathed. There was a kick aimed at his ribs and he grunted, feeling the sharp pain as one or two cracked.

He didn’t know what was going on. He didn’t even know how he knew the man in front of him to be the orc but he knew it as he knew his bow, as he knew Fili, as he knew his bones. It was fact to him. 

There was shouting in what must have been a different language as he was hauled rightside up, still tied to the chair. Kili opened his eyes. There were others doing Azog’s bidding, fetching the pale orc this or that but Kili couldn’t follow what they were saying. Something was wrong with him, something aside from the cracked ribs and obvious head injury.

Azog was pacing in front of him, still talking nonsense. Kili focused on him, blinking rapidly and trying to keep his eyes open. Azog growled and reached out, backhanding Kili hard enough that his vision dimmed...

“You piece of shit,” the man in front of him was cursing. “Your games will not work. I know you understand me.”

Kili spat out blood onto the ground. “Of course I can understand you,” he said. “Doesn’t mean I know who you are.”

The pale man stopped his movements and looked at Kili. His red eyes widened and a smirk slithered its way across his face. “You don’t know me?”

“Why?” Kili asked. “Should I?”

“Who is Thorin?” the man asked.

“Thorin?” Kili asked, not sure he had heard right. “He’s my boss, teaches at the same school I do.”

“That’s all he is?” the man asked.

“What the hell else would he be?” Kili demanded.

The pale man started laughing, head thrown back as he let out loud, powerful guffaws. “You don’t know,” he said. “You don’t know any of it.”

“Know what?” Kili asked. “Look, if you want money then you’re going to want to talk to my brother.”

“Don’t want your money,” the man said as he grabbed Kili by the hair and yanked his head back. “I want your blood.”

Oh this was so not good. Kili tried to stay very still as the man stroked his throat.

“I wonder...if I hit you again will the other one come out?” the man said. Kili stayed still, didn’t ask what he was talking about, didn’t meet his eyes, didn’t do anything. The man was clearly insane. The man let go of his hair and took a step back, carefully regarding Kili. “Cut him loose,” the man said.

Others melted out of the shadows to cut the ziptie restraints and pull Kili to his feet in front of the pale man. Kili winced even though his full weight wasn’t on his legs. He was badly injured but he might have a chance of getting away if he was smart.

The pale man kicked Kili in the stomach, knocking him out of the hold of the others and sending him crashing into the concrete. His head hit it with a painful thud and he lay there, stunned. The pale man was on him, hitting him over and over and sneering at Kili’s pitiful attempts at defending himself. 

His head hurt so much...

His vision was flickering, showing a pale monster superimposed on the pale man, the crazed look of hate in the eyes the same and Kili groaned as bile and blood rose in his mouth. He tilted his head to the side and spat it out. 

He was Kili Durn, English teacher, archer, friend of Bard, brother to Milena and Rivet and Breanna. He lived in a brownstone in old Boston. He was in love with a man who wanted him only for his money. He was terrified and wanted nothing more than to live.

He was Kili, son of Dis, brother to Fili, nephew to Thorin, third in line to the throne of Erebor. He was a dwarf of Middle Earth. His soul was bound to Fili’s, his brother, his shining light, his gold, and they were happy. They had died together, fighting for their uncle and their home. They had been happy. Fili was his reason for breathing, and he was Fili’s.

Kili screamed, two lives combining in his mind, memories and feelings and sensations of both ripping through him. He didn’t feel Azog moving off him. He didn’t feel the cold concrete, slick with his blood, under him. He reached up with broken and bruised arms to wrap around his splitting skull, his body turning and curling up against itself as he howled in agony. 

Then there was blessed darkness and nothing more.

:::

“It seems that we have a problem,” Balin said as he resettled on the couch. “Our poor Fili.”

“He hasn’t had the easiest of lives,” Thorin said.

“Have any of us?” Gloin asked. “I don’t think we’re being rewarded.”

“So its a curse?” Dwalin said. “Why the blasted hell would we be cursed?”

Bifur grabbed the pad of paper Dwalin had fetched during his recitation of the current events. He wrote down a list:

ARKENSTONE  
BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES  
BILBO

Thorin closed his eyes and scrubbed his face with his hand. “Me.”

“Doesn’t answer any of the real questions,” Gloin said.

Balin’s phone began to ring and he picked it up. There was a hushed conversation before he hung up. “We need to get back to the station. There’s a few leads that have come in about Kili. We’ll look into Jared and Vaughn as well, see if we can get that cleared up.”

“We’ll take care of Fili,” Dwalin said, standing as the three police officers did as well. Thorin stayed sitting, looking at the words Bifur had written. Balin glanced at Thorin and raised an eyebrow at Dwalin. “We’ll be fine,” he said. 

“We’ll be in touch,” Bifur said, putting his hat back on. “As soon as we know something we’ll share.”

Dwalin nodded and shut the door behind them. He turned and looked at Thorin, the slump to his shoulders.

“Stop it,” he said.

Thorin looked up. “Stop what?” He sounded confused and he was frowning.

“This isn’t about you, Thorn. None of it,” Dwalin said. “We’re all affected but it’s not because of you. We all made our own choices and we’re all reaping what we sowed.”

“The innocent are suffering far more than the guilty,” Thorin said.

Dwalin ran his hand over his bald head. “I doubt that. Whoever did all this, whoever the maestro is, knows us very well. The best way to make you, or any of us, suffer is to strike at those we care about the most. The children are always the first victim.”

Thorin reached out and pulled Dwalin close to him, resting his head against the other’s stomach. “I don’t know if I can do this. Not again.”

“I get the feeling that it’s not up to us,” Dwalin said. 

“It never was.”

:::

He kept walking. There was nothing else to do, really, but keep moving forward. There was no indication that he was actually moving, that he was getting closer or further away from anything, he just had to keep hoping. 

A shining shape started to take form in the darkness, something that the golden chain was leading him towards. He could see it, the outlines of a tall, lanky man. As he came closer he could see his hair, long and brown, and the smile was the smile he saw glimpses of. The man’s arms were outstretched, beckoning him closer.

He could start to make out details, brown hair with darker and lighter streaks and laughing brown eyes. A beard that was more stubble than anything else. There was a bow and quiver slung over his shoulder and he was dressed in rich blues and tooled leather.

It was Kili. His Kili. 

The golden chain in his chest stretched across to Kili’s chest, to his heart. He reached out to grab Kili’s hand when a portcullis slammed down between them, keeping him from his Kili.

He shouted into the dark, his fists pounding against the metal until his skin split and still he pounded, blood dripping down his hands to his wrists, his elbows, falling onto the nonexistent floor. He reached through the holes in the portcullis, reaching for Kili, wanting to at least hold his hand, touch his skin, but he was moving away. The gold chain that had been so short started pulling through his chest and he could feel his heart lurch. 

He screamed, bloody hands going to his chest, trying desperately to stop the chain from lengthening. But it just kept spinning away from him until it couldn’t go any further, ripping his heart from his chest. Blood, the reddest blood he had ever seen, the only color in the stark black, spilled down his front from the hole in his chest. He pulled his hands away from his chest and it was there. He saw it, in his hands, glowing and pulsing bright red, the gold chain twisted and deeply embedded in the squishy flesh of his heart, running in and out of the veins and arteries. The ventricles pulsed, gasping for blood instead of air, as he cradled his heart in his hand. He watched, horrified, as the glow started to fade and the wet mucous flesh started to turn dark and grey and hard as stone. And then the chain started to break.

“No,” he whispered. “No. Kili. No!”


	10. Chapter 10

Kili woke ziptied to the wooden chair again. There was no one in the warehouse that he could see. His head still hurt, but no where near the levels it had before he passed out. He guessed that once he actually broke through whatever it was that was keeping him separated had given that the ache and pound had abated. It still hurt but that was more the concussion than anything else. He kept his breathing to a calm, slow intake to keep from stressing his ribs and took the rest of his injuries into account.

His arms hurt, his left shoulder more than the other. That was probably from the car crash and being tied to the chair. His ribs were on fire but that was to be expected from the beating Azog had given him. His legs ached but he couldn’t tell if they would hold his weight until he tried.

He took as deep a breath as he could and squirmed in the chair, trying to see how much give he had. His wrists were tied tight but his legs were free. He could stand and the chair was decently rickety. He looked around, trying to make sure he was alone, before sliding down in the chair enough to get to his feet. His shoulders screamed at the stretch but he stood. He squinted his eyes as he looked for something in the warehouse that could help him cut himself free and saw a pile of broken glass. He made his way over to it, walking as softly as he could in his sneakers, and regarded the pile thoughtfully. He couldn’t squat down to grab the shards while he was still tied to the chair as the chair itself would get in the way. He could bash the rickety wood against the wall but that would alert someone to his escape attempt.

It was a no-win situation. He had a chance, though, as the pile was five feet from the door. If he broke the chair the right way, maybe he wouldn’t even need to bother with the zipties. He could still run with the thin plastic on his wrists. This was not going to be fun.

Keeping an eye on his surroundings, Kili braced himself and slammed himself backwards into the hard wall. The chair made a loud cracking noise that echoed in the cavernous warehouse. Kili winced and tried his wrists; still tied. He slammed himself backwards again, putting as much force and weight on it as he could. More cracking noises but still nothing. Kili swore softly and tried one more time.

The chair gave, the seat breaking free of the back and Kili hit the wall with a soft oof. His back was less than pleased with him, just like the rest of his body, but now he was no longer tied to a chair. He braced himself against the wall, trapping the back of the chair there, and slid down, his hands sliding off the frame.

He was free.

And he heard shouting. He looked down at the glass pile and pulled off his t-shirt. He wrapped it around his hand and picked up the largest shard he could before making his careful way to the door. He knew that if he could just get to the door without anyone spotting him that he would be safe enough to find a public enough place. Warehouse meant South Boston, probably the Seaport. There were enough places he could go to find people.

He crept silently toward the door. Four feet. He heard the sound of feet running. Three feet. More shouts, more people. How many people did Azog have working for him? Two feet. Shouts as he was seen. He gave up the pretense of being silent as he took the couple of steps left to the door and yanked at.

Locked.

"Fuck," Kili said. He turned and brought the glass shard into a defensive position on front of him. The gang members closed in on him, ten of them to his count. They laughed and jeered at him as he watched them move. They didn't see him as a threat, foolish of them, but then again they had seen of him was him screaming and getting his teeth kicked in by Azog. Not exactly his best moment there. Good thing Fili wasn't...

Right.

One of the gang members came at Kili with a lead pipe, which he ducked, while the others cheered. Kili kept his eyes on the other's chest as he lunged over and over at him, swinging that damnable pipe. There was a split moment when the idiot looked over his shoulder, laughing at Kili, that he left himself completely unguarded. Kili stepped in, stabbing down with the glass shard in one hand and grabbing the top length of pipe with the other. The gangbanger screamed, hands letting go of the pipe to clutch at the meaty part of his neck where the glass shard was now sticking out of.

Now, though, Kili had the pipe and the upper body strength to kick some serious ass. He could pull a compound bow at seventy pounds and he could more than swing a length of pipe like a baseball bat and crack a few skulls. The man he had stabbed with the glass went down and two men jumped forward at Kili while the rest formed a ring around them, everyone pulling out their weapons. Kili squared himself and started swinging.

The first man he caught in the side and then swung up to crack into his jaw and knock his head back. He went down, knocked out cold with a probable cracked jaw. The second man grabbed Kili from behind, trying to trap his arms. Smiling grimly, Kili stamped down with the heel of his shoe and smashed his head back into the other's nose. It might have made his head hurt, but at least he wasn't screaming from a broken nose. While the gangbanger was holding his nose and howling, Kili swung the length of pipe at his knees. There was a loud crack and down he went, dazed and in serious pain.

Kili twirled the length of pipe around in his hand like he would his sword. Some of the other men ran at that while another ran at him. Kili kept the pipe up high and kicked out and up, sending the thug flying. He liked kickboxing and Jazz always dragged him along to her mixed martial arts classes when she could. The adrenaline from the fight was helping to numb the pain and kept him on his feet. He was going to pay for this something later. When he looked up there were three men left and one was pointing a gun at him.

Kili froze for a second as the man cocked the gun and took off running for the door, dropping the pipe as he did. He knew how hard it was to hit a moving target. The sound of the gun going off was followed by a burning feeling on his right forearm. He grabbed the door and pulled at only to notice it said push. The gun went off again and he felt pain explode in his side. Gasping, he pushed the door open and stumbled before regaining his footing and taking off as fast as he could. There was the sound of the gun three more times, one clipping his left thigh as he ran.

He kept running, having no course planned, not paying attention to his surroundings, just focusing on getting away.

He never saw the car coming until he heard the tires shriek in protest.

Then there was only darkness.

When he next opened his eyes it was to stare incomprehensibly at a white ceiling. He was in a bed, that much he could tell, and he could hear machines beeping around him. He wanted to move, to turn their constant blip-beep off, but his body refused to respond. He felt disconnected from his body and it was hard to keep his eyes open. He closed them and let out a soft moan. He might feel disconnected from his body but he could still feel the ache of abuse.

“Ah, there’s a good lad,” a man said. He leaned over Kili, touching his face, and Kili opened his eyes. It was an elderly man in a white doctor’s coat and a kindly expression on his face. Kili’s eyes widened as he recognized him. He opened his mouth to say so when Oin pressed a finger to his lips. “Enough of that. You’ll only hurt yourself. I’m glad to see you awake. You’ve been unconscious for six days.”

Kili hesitated, trying to swallow and wet his throat, and looked at Oin in hopes that the man would know what he wanted. Oin nodded and disappeared from Kili’s view only to come back with a white styrofoam cup with a lid and a bendy straw. He held it down for Kili who greedily drank the water from the straw.

“Your sister has been here the entire time. I chased her out about ten minutes ago to go grab some food. Some of your coworkers have stopped by as well, Bard and Thorin to be exact,” Oin said while Kili drank. “Your elder brother, River, came by once but Milena started yelling at him so he left. Quite the interesting family.”

Kili let go of the straw and tried to speak, finding his voice finally worked from the water. “Fili?” he asked hoarsely.

Oin frowned and shook his head. "Sorry, lad. You haven't had any other visitors."

Kili closed his eyes. His heart hurt. Where was Fili? If he remembered that meant that Fili should have remembered too. Fili was making Erebor and drawing him and their sigils. How could he not remember?

"There's going to be a couple of officers coming by to talk to you," Oin was saying. "They want to know what's happened and they'll help explain everything else."

Kili turned his head away from Oin, his eyes still closed, aa he surrendered to sleep. Maybe in his sleep he would be able to see or feel Fili there. Only he felt and saw nothing, only darkness. Hours later when he woke it was to see Thorin talking with Milena and Oin. He stayed quiet, wondering what they were saing and barely making out the hushed conversation. Milena and Oin had stepped outside and Thorin was left in the room for a moment. Kili watched as he rubbed his face tiredly. Kili licked his dry lips and coughed, his throat too dry to do more than cough painfully. Thorin looked at him and then around to see if he could spot any water. He found some and brought it over to Kili to help soothe the coughs.

"Do you need me to go get Oin?" Thorin asked as he held the cup for Kili as he sucked greedily at the straw.

Kili let go of the straw and let out a soft sigh. "I'm good. Un--" Kili stopped, his throat seizing viciously like someone's hand was squeezing his vocal chords. He flailed, grabbing at Thorin's hand, ignoring the pain his body was informing him of, and clung as Thorin moved closer to Kili. He was terrified, his vision swimming, his throat closing until he could barely breathe. No, this. This couldn't be death. Where was Fili? They were to die together, they had to die together, just like before, where was Fili?

Kili vaguely realized that Thorin had helped him sit up and was supported against Thorin's chest as the other man rubbed soothing circles along his back. He was telling Kili when to breathe he noticed, and Kili did as he was told. He breathed in with Thorin against the tight choking hold on his throat and breathed out. In. Out. In. Out. Slowly the pressure faded and Kili could breathe without issue.

"Relax, Kili. I'll, we'll explain once the others get here." 

Thorin gently stroked Kili's hair and got up from the bed, pulling his cell out of his pocket. He was standing by the door and texting someone. Kili flopped back against the bed, yelping as he did so and his body yelled at him angrily. Kili moved a little, lifting the shirt up and staring at the swath of bandages along his middle. Blood was slowly seeping through and he ran his fingers carefully over the gauze. He looked at his arm, also wrapped in gauze and threw off the blankets, seeing where one leg was also wrapped with gauze and the other that, from hip to ankle, was covered with large white gauze pads.

"What...?" he asked.

Thorin glanced at him and hesitated before ducking out into the hall. Kili stared at the door, suddenly bereft, and looked down at himself. What had happened? These were hardly minor injuries. He reached up and touched his head. He remembered his head being hurt the worst. There was a tenderness at the back of his skull and 

"Ah, you're awake again," Oin said. "Good. Your sister has left for the day as visiting hours are over. But, well, we shall be making a bit of an exception for you later. Now, Thorin said you wanted to know what injuries you have."

Kili frowned and. Nodded, his head giving a painful lurch at that. "Please."

"You were in a car accident and sustained a mild concussion and some whiplash as well as a sprained knee from that. Then you were abducted and from that you received three cracked ribs and that concussion got worse. You were shot: one to the abdomen, and two grazes to your arm and leg. Then you managed to get hit by another car. Your sprained knee was made worse and you have a nasty case of road rash on that leg. Your concussion was added to even more and you managed to fracture your orbital bone," Oin said.

"My head...?" Kili prompted, trying to digest all his injuries.

"You were bleeding into your brain," Oin said. "We stopped the bleed when you came in, which is why it was so good to see you wake. There was a moment there where we thought you had left us."

"Fili?" Kili asked of Thorin.

Thorin shook his head. “Gone. He left right when we found you.”

Kili slumped back against the bed, uncaring that his side screamed at him, and curled up around his pillow the best he could. Why had Fili left? He remembered, right? If he remembered then why had he left? Did Fili really hate the person Kili was now? All those things FIli had said before...he couldn’t mean them, right? 

There was a part of him that remembered the stories before, back in Ered Luin, about soulmates who couldn’t stand each other. They might have been destined to be with each other forever but that didn’t mean they had to like it. They would have their own lives, their own lovers, and be together but not. 

That couldn’t be what he and FIli were destined to be this time around. Fate couldn’t be so cruel as to deny them the comfort of each other. Fili was the most important person to Kili, had always been so and now that he remembered it changed nothing. He would forgive Fili anything just to have him back. 

...but maybe Fili didn’t feel the same.

“Come now,” Thorin said as he sat next to Kili again. He set his hand on Kili’s shoulder, rubbing it gently. “It’ll be okay.”

Kili remained silent.

“Everything with be explained,” Thorin said.

“No it won’t,” Kili said. “None of it matters without him.”

“Kili,” Thorin said, running his hand over Kili’s hair, “Fili doesn’t know.”

Kili turned and looked at him. Thorin leaned down to kiss Kili’s forehead. Kili turned, slowly, trying to be careful of his wounds, and let Thorin pull him into a careful hug. Kili let the familiar drown out the pain and fear and forgot about the new life and the new world and just turned into Thorin and his familiarness and his firm hold. And he started to cry. And Thorin held him through it, shushing him softly, as he rubbed his back.

:::

Kili looked at the iPad he had been handed. “What do you want me to do with this?” he asked.

“We’re going to explain,” Thorin said. “We can’t, not verbally, but we can write it down.”

Kili set the tablet down on his lap and closed his eyes as he rested back against the pillows. He didn’t care. None of it was worth it without Fili.

“Kili,” Thorin said as he sat down on the bed. “You need to know.”

“I need Fili,” Kili said softly as he opened his eyes.

“We’re looking for him, lad,” Dwalin said. He was sitting in one of the plastic chairs by the door, legs stretched out in front of him and slouching comfortably. “Trust me on that.”

Kili sighed and picked up the iPad. “What do you want me to do?”

“Bifur created a document online with everything they know of the situation. We’re going to go into it and you’ll read it. If you have questions you’re to type them into the document. We all have access,” Thorin said.

Kili poked the screen, opening up his email and pulling the document Thorin had mention. It was mostly empty, Kili could see, but there was enough. Everyone from the Company had been reincarnated in this world. It obviously wasn’t just the Company, though, not with Thranduil and Bard but he kept reading. Everyone was scattered around the world with no real way of knowing where they were. Families were split apart and reborn as different people.

The memories, Bifur had written, were like extra knowledge just put in their minds. It was like a movie that they all remembered very well, some details fuzzy and others crystallized in clarity. No one was exactly like how they had been before, some being complete opposites of their previous selves, but they still carried the memories of the past. 

There was a curse in place, which is why no one could speak, and it seemed the reactions to doing so ranged from mild to dire. Who cast the curse was unknown. There were some theories about why everyone was remembering and what the purpose of remembering was, but nothing grabbed him as being right.

Kili looked at Thorin and hesitated before typing out what he wanted to say.

BIFUR IS WRONG. NOT EXTRA KNOWLEDGE. AM BOTH.

“Maybe it’s the concussion,” Thorin said.

“It’s possible,” Dwalin said. “I’d probably lay money on how you remembered, though. It was traumatic and you needed...the knowledge to get away.”

“I can defend myself,” Kili said.

“I don’t doubt that,” Dwalin said with a smile. “But against Azog?”

Kili sighed. That made sense, he supposed. He was Kili Durn but he was also Kili son of Dis. He reached up and rubbed one of his eyes with his fist. He was tired. He wanted Fili so bad. 

“No other questions?” Thorin asked.

Kili sighed. “None that matter. So we’re cursed. Wonderful. We should find a way to break it. We should find Fili. We should, should, should. There are so many shoulds. It’s crap.”

“It is,” Thorin said. “The good news is that now you know. Azog is still out there, free, and he wants you for some reason.”

“He wants revenge,” Kili said. He could feel his throat tighten in warning. He sighed and tapped at the iPad. 

HE WANTS TO KILL ME BECAUSE I KILLED HIM. I AM NOW OFFICIALLY MORE IMPORTANT FOR HIM TO KILL THAN UNCLE. YAY?

Thorin chuckled and Dwalin smiled. 

Kili put the iPad down. “Tell me why Fili’s not here, why he left.”

“He left because he was involved with some very bad people and they came back for him,” Dwalin said. “He wanted to protect you. He’s been remembering in snatches that he turns into art but he doesn’t fully know.”

“How do we make him remember?” Kili asked. 

“You don’t,” Dwalin said. “All of us have to remember on our own when our time comes.”

“Bullshit,” Kili said, his hands fisting the blankets on the bed. “Bullshit. You don’t get it. You don’t get him. Remembering in his own time? This is Fili. He never rocks the boat, never upsets the status quo. Someone else has to do that for him.”

Thorin reached out to take one of Kili’s hands. “Bifur and Balin are looking for him.”

“I need Fili,” Kili whispered. “Please. I need him.”

“We’re doing everything we can, lad,” Dwalin said.

“Then do more,” Kili snapped. “Try harder. Just bring Fili back to me.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Dub-con/possible rape. Drug use. Depression. Panic Attacks.
> 
> Vaughn is a dick. Fili is a mess. 
> 
> It's going to get worse, sorry.

He was running.

He knew he was running and why he was running and he also knew why he should stop running. But the fear, the primal fear that every mammal felt when faced with a superior one felt, was beating in his heart. If he stopped running then Vaughn would catch him. If he stayed in Boston then Vaughn would find Kili and he'd kill him. There was no way for Fili to win this, to win any of this. He couldn't have his cake and eat it too. That just wasn't the life for him.

But every time he closed his eyes he saw the devastated look on Kili's face as Fili did his best to break his heart. It was for the best. Let Kili think he was only after the money, after his ass, not that he wanted so much more. Sometimes, when he slept, he dreamed. He dreamed of Kili, the two of them living together somewhere green. Kili hunted, bringing them game, and he could see Kili in a forge, pounding metal into various shapes. Fili would watch him for hours as he slaved away at the anvil. It was beautiful, breathtaking, divine the way Kili looked covered in sweat and dirt and lit by the low orange glow of the fire. His hair was pulled back, a braid or two evident in it, and a large silver clip holding it all back. He saw him tied to a bed with his head thrown back, mouth open as he wordlessly begged for more. He saw him, hands tied behind his back, as he rode Fili, panting with dark eyes made darker by hunger.

He craved those dreams, loved them and hoarded them to be cherished, but he feared them as well. They reminded him of what he had given up, of what he could never again have. He couldn't stand having them and he couldn't stand not having them.

He had stopped running for the night somewhere in Rhode Island. He’d broken into a house and stolen all he could, getting cash for gas and food that he could eat without having to cook. He had come across a pharmacy two nights ago and broken in, grabbing painkillers and sedatives as he went. He got himself a motel room and a bottle of Jack Daniels and locked the door. He sat down on the bed, peeling off his shirt and kicking his boots off, and cracked the seal on the Jack before taking a sip. He dumped his bag out on the bed and pawed through his haul.

He had bottles and boxes of tramadol, codeine, thebaine, fentanyl, darvocet, vicodin, percocet, lorazepam, and trazodone. He still had his Flexeril, safely tucked away on his bike, but he needed more. He ran his fingers over the box of fentanyl patches and took a swig of the Jack. He had almost fifty patches. He ripped one pack off the roll and pulled it open, peeling it free and smacking it over his bicep. He took another hit off the bottle and laided back on the scratchy bedspread. He screwed the cap on the Jack and let it fall next to him on the bed, the bottles all rattling as they rolled to cradle his body against their large white containers. He closed his eyes and let himself drift, thinking and feeling nothing as the fentanyl leached into his system...

:::

“Gorgeous,” Fili murmured as he kissed his way down Kili’s chest. His brother was spread out beneath him, dark hair flared out over the pillow and a enchanting flush along his chest and cheeks.

“Fee,” Kili whispered. “Don’t tease.”

“Don’t rush me,” Fili said, sliding up to kiss Kili gently. “I’ve wanted you for so long and now I can have you. I’m going to take my time tonight.”

Kili sighed, his hands coming up to keep Fili still as he kissed him back. “We have forever together now,” he said. “You can take your time as much as you want. But, brother, I ache for you. Please?”

Fili chuckled and nipped Kili’s lip. “No. I’ve seen you naked so many times but never been allowed to touch and now I can. You would do exactly the same. You can do exactly the same. I want to touch and kiss and lick every part of you.”

“I should have known you’d be a tease,” Kili sighed, stretching under Fili, his arms rising to clutch the headboard as he arched his back. He let go and flopped back onto the mattress. “This is my bonding night too, you know.”

“Exactly,” Fili said, letting his hands run over Kili’s sides. “Bonding night. We have all night. Let this first time be perfect, let me worship you, and then you can have whatever you want from me.”

Kili watched him with dark eyes made darker with want. “Oh fine,” he muttered. “I’m not going to win this one.”

Fili kissed him before sliding back down Kili’s body, stopping to take a nipple in his mouth, scraping his teeth teasingly over the tight flesh. “No,” he said against the tanned skin. “You’re not.”

Kili moaned and twitched, like he wanted to squirm but was holding himself still. Fili smiled against Kili’s skin, his other hand coming up to pinch and roll his other nipple, listening to the hitch in his brother’s breathing as he kissed his way down his abdomen. He nuzzled the muscles there, kissing his way across them on his way to Kili’s navel. He nipped the flesh there gently before dipping his tongue into it and listening to the moan his brother let out.

“Like that?” Fili asked, looking up Kili’s body.

“What do you think?” Kili asked, licking his lips.

Fili chuckled and sat up, his hands on Kili’s hips. “Turn over for me.”

Kili frowned. “But I want to see you.”

Fili arched a brow and smacked Kili’s hip. “C’mon, turn.”

“You have plenty you haven’t explored on this side,” Kili said with a pout, arching his hips pointedly.

Fili leaned down and dropped a kiss on Kili’s neglected erection. “I have plans, Kili. Now, turn over.”

“So bossy,” Kili said as he bit his lip. He did not turn over and Fili smiled as he grabbed his brother and forcibly turned him over. Kili squawked, looking over his shoulder at Fili with distinct displeasure.

Fili merely smiled and leaned down, giving Kili’s ass a nice bite. “Behave,” Fili said. “You’ll have your turn at tormenting me later.”

“Evil,” Kili muttered as he buried his face in his pillow.

Fili could hear him mumbling into the pillow and smiled as he leaned up, covering Kili’s body with his, kissing and nibbling his way along the strong line of Kili’s shoulders and licking a long stripe down his spine. Kili’s grumbles turned into moans as Fili continued his exploration, nibbling along the strong muscles and nuzzled each indentation of his brother’s back. It was strong and perfect, tanned and unmarred. Kili was perfection and all his. It was a heady thought, that Kili was his for eternity now. There was no need to be jealous or to be lonely, not when he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that his brother was his. They were one now, and Fili wanted so much to be one in body as well as one in soul and heart.

But he also wanted to completely own his brother, to mark him as his own, and leave absolutely no doubt who Kili belonged to. He made his way back down to Kili’s ass, hands gripping and massaging it as he went. He reached under Kili and tugged, trying to get him to go to his knees.

“What are you planning?” Kili asked as he did as bid.

Fili smiled and kissed the small of Kili’s back. “You’ll see.”

Kili sighed, resting his head on his arms and waited patiently (or as patiently as Kili ever did). Fili kneaded Kili’s ass firmly before parting the flesh and leaned down to gently blow along his hole. Kili jerked slightly, looking over his shoulder at Fili with wide eyes. Fili smiled, ducking his head to nibble at the crease where Kili’s thighs met his ass. Kili moaned softly and Fili moved up to run his tongue along the tightly puckered skin. He licked and blew air gently over Kili’s ass, teasingly dipping his tongue inside before pulling away and grabbing the bottle of oil Dwalin had tossed at him earlier in the evening after the ceremony.

Kili was panting, his thighs trembling slightly as Fili slicked a finger and slid it slowly inside his brother. Kili was tight, never having known pleasure at the hands of someone else, and it took Fili a moment with ease his finger inside his brother. He worked his finger in and out while he licked around Kili’s hole. His other hand slid around Kili’s hips to wrap a hand around his cock and stroking him encouragingly. Kili was pleading with him in Khuzdul and trying to hold still as Fili slid his tongue inside him along with his finger.

“Fee,” Kili groaned, drawing out the sound of his name. “Please, please, I need you.”

Fili pulled back and smiled, kissing Kili’s ass as he added another finger inside his brother and let go of his cock to teasingly tug on his balls. “I know you do.”

“Please,” Kili begged. “Fee, gods, Fili, please. Take me, I need you so much.”

Fili nuzzled the small of Kili’s back. "Not yet, pretty. I’d hurt you if I took you now.”

Kili groaned and kept as still as he could, sounds falling from his lips as Fili scissored his fingers apart inside him, adding more oil and another finger. Fili knew he had to take his time with Kili, make him open and loose, or else he’d hurt him. Fili would rather cut out his own heart than hurt Kili. He kept his fingers impersonal, wanting to open Kili and not play with him like he knew he could. That would come later but now he needed and wanted almost as bad as Kili did. He pulled his fingers out and added more oil before sliding them in again and making sure Kili could take them without issue. 

He had been taught early on by Thorin and Dwalin and Balin when it became obvious that he and Kili were soulbound. Kili had been deemed too young for the lessons and Fili was only being taught them because he was the heir and he needed to know. There had been that one memorable lesson where Thorin and Dwalin had taken him to a whorehouse and handed him over to the mistress of the house to learn everything he needed to know.

It had been exceptionally educational.

"Fuck, Fili, if you don't stop fucking toying with me and put your cock in me soon I'm going to have to hurt you," Kili threatened.

"You are far too coherent," Fili laughed.

"Then fuck me," Kili said, looking over his shoulder.

Fili pulled his fingers out and smacked Kili's ass. "Then turn over. You are such a demanding brat."

Kili turned over and sat up, pulling Fili in for a kiss. "I love you," he said.

"Love you too," Fili said, nuzzling Kili and pulling him close. "How do you want to do this, Kee? You want to ride me or you want to be on your back?"

"What's going to hurt less?" Kili asked. He was playing with one of Fili's braids. "I know it's going to hurt, I don't care about that, but you're going to worry over me. So what will be better for both of us?"

Fili thought for a moment while he nibbled and kissed along Kili's neck. It would be easier, not just on Kili but to kiss and touch him, if he rode him. Kili could control how fast and deep he wanted, could stop when he needed to, and Fili could watch him to make sure he was enjoying it. He moved away from Kili for a second, folding his legs under him and then beckoning Kili to slide onto his lap. 

"This way?" Kili asked, kissing Fili and wrapping his arms around Fili's neck as he straddled his lap.

"You trust me, right?" Fili asked. Kili nodded and Fili grabbed the bottle of oil, one arm wrapping around Kili's waist to keep him put. Kili took the bottle from him and poured it into his hand before reaching down and wrapping his hand around Fili's cock, slicking him liberally. "Mahal, Kee, can't wait to feel you."

Kili dropped the oil to the side, uncaring as it fell over and started leaking onto the sheets. He licked his lips and moved onto his knees, Fili's hands on his waist guiding him as they slowly lined up and Kili began sinking down onto Fili's cock. He moaned, heading falling forward to rest against Fili's as he bit his lip, eyes screwed closed. Fili tried to breathe as his brother's body reluctantly gave as he slowly slid inside him and his warmth. Kili was so tight, so warm, and he was going so damnably slow. Fili gripped Kili's hips, helping to steady him and tried not to thrust. Slowly, oh so incredibly slowly, he was fully inside his brother and Kili was clinging to him, shaking and gasping for air.

"So good," Fili murmured, nuzzling him and stroking his back. "Doing so good, love."

"Hurts," Kili whispered. "Feel so full."

"Think you can move? It'll feel better faster if you move."

Kili licked his lips and slowly rolled his hips, moving just the tiniest amount. Fili kept hold of him, doing what he could to ease Kili's way and holding him. Kili started to adjust, moving a little more languid, a little looser, working himself along Fili's cock. Kili was gasping, cheeks flush and eyes glazed with pleasure, when Fili grabbed his hips and changed his movement, thrusting up as Kili thrust down. Kili's head fell back as he shouted, hands coming up to grab Fili's shoulders. Fili leaned forward, kissing along his neck, smiling against the skin.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Fili asked with a smile. He rolled his hips up against Kili as his little brother clung to him, nails digging into his skin.

"Mahal bless me," Kili groaned. "Do that again."

Fili tugged Kili in for a kiss, nibbling on his lips until Kili growled and kissed him demandingly, sucking on his tongue and rocking down on him. Fili spread his knees wider, balancing Kili carefully as he thrust up, the angle making it so he hit Kili's prostate every other stroke. Kili was clinging to him as their hips moved, kissing him desperately. The build was slow, an almost burn and itch settling under their skin as they moved as one, mouths pressed together as they breathed each other in. Kili whined softly at him as he reached between them to fist his cock and thrust up into his brother.

"Close," Kili gasped, eyes closing tight.

"Come for me, Kee," Fili ordered, voice firm as he leaned back enough to see how gorgeous Kili looked riding him. His hand was still moving along his brother's erection, urging him to come all over his hand. It didn't take much more before Kili was shouting wordlessly to the ceiling, head thrown back and neck bared. He trembled in Fili's hold as his seed spilled over Fili's hand. It only took a few more thrusts before Fili himself was coming deep inside Kili, kissing him hungrily as he did.

They leaned against each other, kissing lazily and sweetly, too enamoured of finally being allowed such casual intimacy. There was a hum under Fili's skin, an awareness of everywhere Kili was pressed against him, a completeness and wholeness that he had never been aware of before. He felt more alive just having Kili here with him. If this was what it meant to be bonded then he hoped he never knew anything different. Kili was his everything, his reason for waking in the morning, his reason for breathing, his reason for living. He couldn't imagine life without him. And now he never would have to. 

:::

“Wakey, wakey, gorgeous,” a voice urged as the owner of the voice shook FIli’s shoulder,

Fili groaned a protest, turning over and curling in on himself. He was clinging to the dream that was fuzzing over and losing details the longer he was conscious. He didn’t know what a bonding ceremony was or why he called Kili brother, but it was Kili. All he cared about was that he had had Kili for those few hours of sleep.

“Wake up,” the voice said, turning from sweet and coaxing to demanding. “You and your goddamned narcotics. Get your ass up or I swear to god I will dump all this shit down the crapper.”

Fili rolled on his back, trying to keep his eyes open. It felt like each eyelash weighted thousands of pounds and it was a fight to keep his eyes open. There was a tall, thin man leaning over him with his arms crossed, his black hair cut into a buzz cut and his green eyes were narrowed in displeasure. Vaughn had found him.

“Oh, do I have his highness’s attention?” Vaughn sneered. “‘Bout fucking time.”

“You found me,” Fili murmured, trying to sit up and failing. He stayed on the bed, spread out and limp.

“Yeah, I found you,” Vaughn said. “Dumbass. Did you really think you could run from us?”

Fili blinked at him, his mind sluggishly trying to come up with a plausible lie. Well...maybe not a lie, then. Truth sometimes was best, after all. “Not you,” he said. “My mark. Didn’t go right.”

Vaughn sat on the bed and ran a hand through Fili’s hair. “Jared said something about the Durns.”

“No more honeypots,” Fili said, making himself turn into Vaughn’s touch. He knew what was expected of him. “Wanna sleep...”

“You’re hopeless,” Vaughn said. “We need to meet Gemma in Miami. We’re stepping our game up, kid. Jared met some good folk in prison and between him and Gemma we’ve finally got the chance to make some serious bank.”

Fili closed his eyes. “Sleep...”

“For fuck’s sake,” Vaughn said. “You are absolutely useless right now.” He got off the bed and Fili could hear the rattle of his bottles but he couldn’t care. Sleep was beckoning, and with it, Kili. “I’m taking control of these. You can have them back once we get to Miami. You’re going to insist taking that piece of shit bike with you, aren’t you? Can’t exactly trust you not to run off this time.” There was a sigh and Fili could feel himself floating off to sleep again. “Guess I’m gonna have to get a car. Fili? Fuck, you passed out again. Fantastic. Fine, you stay here and sleep your pretty little ass off and I’ll go get a car. We’re leaving as soon as you can drive and you’re not getting any of your candy until we get to Miami. Fucking idiot.”

:::

“I don’t want you to come with us,” Fili said as he adjusted his vambrace. 

“Really? And how’re you going to stop me?” Kili demanded, arms crossed over his chest.

Fili shook his head. “I want you to be safe. Safe means staying here with Ma.”

“Funny thing, that,” Kili said. “I want you to be safe too.”

“I will be safe,” Fili said, turning to smile at Kili. “I’ll be with Uncle and ten other dwarves.”

“And I trust exactly none of them to watch your back,” Kili snapped. “You are mine and I am yours and I am going with you to make sure you don’t do something spectacularly stupid because I swear to Mahal if Uncle comes back after this quest to tell me something happened to you then I am going to do whatever I can to find your soul and kick your ass.”

Fili stared at him, startled. Kili was furious. Fili had never seen him so angry before and he could feel his resentment and fear and fury through their bond. He stepped closer, reaching out to take Kili in his arms only to be smacked away.

“No,” Kili said. “You don’t get to placate me. That is not something you get to do to me. I am going with you, Fili, and if you know what’s good for you you will turn around and go tell Uncle right now that he has a company of thirteen whether he likes it or not.”

Fili smiled and nodded, grabbing Kili by his waist and tugging him in close. Kili fought him, trying to push him away, but Fili was still the stronger of the two. “I love you, Kee.”

“This isn’t about love,” Kili said, refusing to give in to the hug.

Fili kissed his stubborn mouth. “I would do the same, were I in your shoes. As you would me.”

“No,” Kili said immediately. “Unlike you I don’t want to be separated from you.”

“It’s not about wanting to be separated, it’s about wanting you safe. It would ease my mind.”

“If I were in your shoes it would ease my mind to have you with me,” Kili said. “Everyone thinks me impulsive and wild but they don’t know you like I do. You would do whatever you had to to protect everyone on this stupid quest. I need to make sure you’re not being stupid.”

“Such trust you have in me,” Fili said with a chuckle.

“Absolutely none,” Kili said seriously.

Fili kissed him again. “I will tell Uncle.”

“You better,” Kili said, resting his head on Fili’s shoulder and finally giving into the embrace. His body curved into Fili’s and his arms came around to hold him close. “I will follow you if you try and leave without me.”

“I love you,” Fili murmured into Kili’s ear.

“I love you too, even if you are an idiot. Stop trying to run away from me.”

“I would never run from you,” Fili said. “Never.”

“You better not,” Kili said. “You would not like the results if you did.”

:::

The trip to Miami was a two-day drive. Vaughn had taken Fili’s cell phone and tossed it in the middle of the road and given him a new one. Fili had already gotten the pictures off the old one, wanting at least something of Kili he could remember, and stashed the memory chip in his sketchbook, taped to the back cover so he wouldn’t lose it. Everyone knew to leave Fili’s art alone. Vaughn had also taken all of Fili’s drugs, refusing to give him any of the trip until they met for the night in Richmond, Virginia. 

It was another shitty motel that Vaughn had gotten them for the night. Fili had picked his way through dinner while Vaughn drank and watched him. All Fili wanted to do was sleep. He was sick of everything. His dreams were his, were a world where he still had Kili and was happy. He didn’t remember much about them except that it was him and Kili and they loved each other.

“Hunh,” Vaughn said, pointing to the TV with his beer bottle. “The Durn kid was kidnapped, did you know that? Guess you had some competition.”

Fili looked up at the TV and stared as the story unfolded. Kili Durn had been kidnapped two days ago and had been recovered a few hours ago. He’d been taken for treatment to Boston Medical with serious injuries. Police looking for any leads...no suspects in custody...

Fili got up and went into the bathroom. He was breathing too quickly, too hard. It felt like he couldn’t breathe. He rubbed at his throat, trying to ease the tightness there. He couldn’t deal with this. No, not this. Kili was hurt? He had been taken and hurt and Fili hadn’t been there to stop it from happening. Had it happened because of what he had said? It was his fault, he knew it was. It was all his fault.

He vaguely felt himself falling to his knees, hands at his throat, clawing at the tightness there. He need out. He needed his drugs, he needed something to stop the panic and his thoughts and all he could think about was Kili.

“Goddammit,” Fili heard Vaughn say behind him. 

It sounded so far away, like he was hearing Vaughn through water. He felt the hands on his body, pulling him to his feet and pushing him onto a bed. He curled in on himself, squeezing his eyes closed. There was a rattle, like the sound of pills against plastic, and then there were hands again, one pressing over his mouth. Fili felt the shape of pills and opened his mouth, dry swallowing whatever Vaughn had given him.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Vaughn demanded as he undressed Fili. “You’ve never been this much of a disaster before.

Fili shook his head and opened his eyes, watching as Vaughn undressed and climbed on the bed with him. He shook his head and moaned out a no as Vaughn started touching him.

“C’mon, I know what you need,” Vaughn said, kissing Fili.

Fili tried to push him away but the drugs were taking effect and he couldn’t quite control his limbs. Vaughn had lube and a condom, had fingers inside him while Fili floated away on a cloud of opiates. He thought of the last time he and Kili had been together, how Kili had taken him in that bathroom in Harvard and blown him. The morning of that day where Fili had woken Kili up with fingers and kisses, bringing him off while Kili gasped and writhed under him. He barely felt what Vaughn was doing to him, he just closed his eyes and drifted away as he remembered Kili’s smile.

:::

“Fili, this is your new brother,” his Ma said. She was laying on the bed, propped up against many pillows and covered with blankets. She was holding a small bundle that squirmed every now and then.

Da lifted him onto the bed so he could see. The bundle was a baby, it’s face all red and pinched and wrinkled, nothing special. It had a small tuft of black hair on its head and was restless in his mother’s arms. He reached out to tap the baby’s forehead and it opened its eyes and gurgled at him before smiling brightly at him.

Fili looked up at his mother and then down at the baby. “What’s its name?”

“He is Kili,” his Da said, sitting down on the bed and pulling Fili into his lap. “You’ll look after him, right? You’re a big brother now and that comes with a lot of responsibilities.”

Fili nodded, reaching down to play with his Da’s hand. “Yep. I’ll look after him always.”

“That’s my boy,” Da said as he ruffled Fili’s hair.

:::

They ended up staying in Richmond for two nights while Fili slept the day away. He barely noticed Vaughn yelling at him and trying to get him up. The other man left for a while before coming back and smacking Fili into some form of consciousness. He got food inside him and then fucked him, FIli accepting it and drifting on the remains of the drugs and his own apathy. 

Six days after he had left Boston they arrived in Miami. Jared punched him in the shoulder with a grin and Gemma gave him a hug and a kiss. Vaughn, pissed off with him for the drugs and making him come looking for Fili in the first place, merely kept a smile on his face and an arm around his waist.

“So,” Fili said when they sat down to dinner that night. “Tell me about this scam of yours.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a friendly remind to read the tags.

Fili crouched down behind the stack of boxes, knees to his chest, hands over his ears as people shot at him. He clung to his bag, trying to protect his sketchbook and his pictures of Kili, as he watched Vaughn and Jared and Gemma fired back at the other people. Fili didn’t know what was going on. All he knew was that they had shown up for the agreed upon time and place for the deal and had been ambushed. Something about them being wanted for kidnapping.

Fili watched as Gemma jerked, her body perforated and bursting with bullets. She fell to the cold concrete of the warehouse flooring, her gun skittering over to lay at Fili’s feet. Jared shouted, turning to Gemma’s body, when he was shot twice--once in the gut and once in the shoulder. He went down with a scream. Vaughn threw his gun down and reached down to grab Fili by his shirt and yanked him with him.

“No!” Fili shrieked, clinging to his bag and fighting against Vaughn to get to Jared. 

Vaughn cursed and yanked at Fili, who grabbed hold of his little brother and brought him with them. Jared was groaning, blood spilling over his chest and down his side but Fili was pulling him insistently with him. He wasn’t going to leave Jared with those animals, no matter what his opinion on him was. Vaughn took Jared from Fili once they were out of the warehouse, pulling his uninjured arm over his shoulder and walking them far enough away before dumping Jared to the ground.

“Stay here,” Vaughn said, pointing at the ground. “I’m going to go grab a car and then we’re going to go back to the motel and get out of here.”

“Jared needs a doctor,” Fili said, pulling his shirt off and pressing it to his abdomen. It was the more serious wound and pressure would help slow the bleeding. Jared groaned under his hands, eyes flickering but remaining firmly closed.

“Jared’s going to die,” Vaughn said. “Doctor or not. Stay here while I go get us a ride.”

Fili watched Vaughn turn and run off in a random direction and looked down at Jared. His brother was pale and sweating, his breath coming shallowly. There was a lot of blood coating Fili’s hands but he couldn’t let that stop him from doing his best for his baby brother. Jared didn’t deserve this. This was Fili’s fault. He’d started stealing to feed them, had led them away from foster care so that he could protect his little brother after one of the other kids broke his arm. It was all Fili’s fault. He had started all of this and it had spun so impossibly out of control and now his little brother was dying because of him.

“No,” Fili choked out. “Jare, please, c’mon, please be okay. It’s gonna be okay. I’m here. We’re gonna be okay. We’ll get you patched up and we’ll go back to Boston. You can meet Kili and I can explain what happened and we’ll get away from Vaughn and everything will be okay.”

Jared was silent, his chest barely moving. Fili kept the pressure on his stomach and rubbed his face against his bicep, trying to scrub away the tears on his t-shirt. He started babbling about Kili to Jared, telling him whatever he could think of. He told him about Dwalin and Thorin and the gala and how boring it had been but how much fun it was to dress up and be with Kili. 

“I really didn’t like his ex-coach,” Fili said, swallowing thickly. “Not just because it was statutory rape or anything but just the smug way he touched Kili. It was like he knew something that no one else did. And Kili just smiled at him. If you ever wanna rip someone off after this, Jare, you can go after him. He’s filthy rich, I checked. Two ex-wives, a kid by the third one that died from cancer. Nothing else but the kid and lots of money. I’d be tempted to have a go at him, I’ll tell you that, just from how he looked at Kili.”

Jared’s chest stopped moving. Fili stared, feeling his limbs go numb as he rocked back on his heels. 

“Jared?” he whispered. 

His brother was pale, the blood still sluggishly seeping from both gunshot wounds, but he wasn’t breathing. There was a puddle of blood around him that Fili had been kneeling in that he hadn’t realized. His tan messenger bag, still slung over his shoulder, was resting in it and Fili could see where the blood had climbed up the fabric, soaking into it and everything inside. He reached out to shake Jared’s shoulder and watched his brother flop like a limp rag doll.

Fili sniffed, rubbing his face with his bloody hand and rocked back onto his heels. This couldn’t be happening. Jared couldn’t be dead. This could not be happening. Had he really failed so much that he had let his little brother die?

“Fili!” Vaughn shouted as he drove up in a battered Ford pickup. “Get in!”

Fili looked up at the car. “Jared...”

“Your twerp brother’s dead,” Vaughn said. “We’re not. Get you fucking ass in here!”

Fili looked down at Jared, at the blood splattered over him, the unnatural way he lay. He couldn’t just leave his brother here like this, on the side of a road that no one used. He couldn’t just abandon him. He heard Vaughn curse and the sound of a door opening. Fili reached out a blood stained hand to push at some of Jared’s brown hair so it wasn’t in his eyes. He felt Vaughn grabbing him and physically pushing him into the truck and then they were driving off.

They didn’t make it very far. Vaughn had stopped off at the motel and grabbed their things and made for the highway. They’d made it five miles out of Miami before a cop flicked his lights on behind them and Vaughn gunned it.

“You should pull over,” Fili whispered.

“You should shut the fuck up,” Vaughn said as he started weaving in and out of cars on the highway. They heard more sirens and saw more lights as other cops joined the chase.

Fili clutched his bag to his chest, trying to keep calm. Jared was dead and so was Gemma. He had seen them die, had tried to save Jared from bleeding out under his hands and failed. And now they were in a car chase with the police. Fili tried to tune out Vaughn’s cursing. The truck picked up speed and Fili watched as other cars started getting out of the way. There wasn’t really much for him to do while Vaughn wove in and out around the cars around them. The cops were closing in and Fili just hoped that he would get through this alive.

Vaughn guided the car over to the median and drove over it, spinning the car around and driving in the opposite direction while the cops scrambled to keep up. He was cursing and forcing the car to go faster than it was really meant to. The cops were catching up and more were coming. Vaughn forced the truck to go over the median one more time and kept going faster.

“Vaughn, please, stop this,” Fili said. “It’s over. They’ve got us.”

“Like hell they do,” Vaughn snapped. “We can still get away.”

“No, we can’t,” Fili said. He let his head rest against the window. This was the end, and he knew it. He reached into his bag and pulled out the cell phone. If this was how he was going to die, with Vaughn, in this car, then he had to try and set things right. As much as he wanted to call and hear Kili’s voice, he couldn’t, not with Vaughn losing it next to him.

So he sent a text.

//im sorry. everything i told you before was a lie. wasnt after your money. wasnt scamming you. fell in love. was trying to protect you from some very bad people. you got hurt anyway. can never apologize enough for that. im so sorry. meeting you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. i hope i see you again in the next life and that i can make up for this. i love you.//

Fili closed the phone and gripped it tight in his hand. Vaughn was taking the car off the highway and onto the streets. Fili tightened his seatbelt and watched as Vaughn gunned the truck down a large intersection, weaving between the cars and speeding through traffic lights as if they didn’t exist. More cops were chasing them, lights and sirens flashing and blaring loudly. 

Fili’s phone gave a little chirp and vibrated and he looked down at in in shock. He had a text?

//DONT YOU DARE DIE.//

Fili laughed weakly and tucked the phone into his bag. Vaughn reached out and smacked FIli across the face for laughing, his hands coming off the wheel to do so and that’s when the cops slammed into them.

:::

Balin walked into the holding cell and nodded at the Florida officers who had escorted Fili back to Boston. “You have some forms for me, I’m assuming?” he asked.

“You really think this kid helped kidnap your guy?” the older of the two officers asked. He handed Balin a stack of forms to transfer Fili from their custody into his. 

“We think he might have some information,” Balin said. He took out a pen and started signing his name and his badge number on all the forms where required.

“He’s good for the information,” the other officer said. “He flipped on the driver of the car the moment we got him in cuffs.”

“He’s not a bad kid,” Balin agreed. “He just ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“He’s a drug addict, just to warn you,” the older officer said. “He got pretty banged up in the chase and he’s not allowed any pain killers.”

“We have a doctor we consult with on these type of cases,” Balin said. “We’ll see what he can do for him.” He finished signing and handed them back to the officers. “Do you have his personal effects?”

“All he had on him was a bloodstained bag, a cell phone, sketchbook, and a set of keys. He gave up the cell since it had numbers and texts that would help convict his friend but the others are his,” the other officer said. “He’s got it right now and doesn’t seem keen to let it out of his sight.”

“If you didn’t have anything else to call your own would you be any other way?” Balin asked with a kind smile. “Thank you, gentlemen. I hope you have a safe flight back to Jacksonville.”

The officers nodded and left the office while Balin went to the holding cell Fili had been placed in. Fili was sitting on the bench, scratching at the skin under the cast on his arm, his leg bouncing at a rapid rate. He hadn’t been back on the narcotics long enough to have a bad withdrawal, but there still would be some. 

“Hello Fili, I’m Officer Baker but you can call me Balin,” he said from the other side of the bars.

Fili looked over at him and then down at his hands and then back up at him. “Why am I here? You don’t honestly think I would hurt Kili, right?”

Balin smiled. “No, lad, we don’t. Mr Durn would be very quick to correct us even if we did. But you were the last person to see him before his abduction and that was enough to let us put out a warrant for you.”

“Are you going to release me?” Fili asked.

“You haven’t been arrested,” Balin said. “We’re going to go to the hospital now, to get you checked out, and then you can see Mr Durn. He’s being very insistent on seeing you as soon as possible.”

Fili nodded slowly and stood. 

“Don’t look so grim, lad,” Balin said as he unlocked the cell and waited for Fili to shuffle his way out. “I would lay money on Mr Durn just wanting to make sure you’re okay.”

“He’s in the hospital?” Fili asked. “What happened?”

“He got pretty banged up,” Balin said as he escorted Fili to his cruiser. He made sure to open the passenger door for him so he would know he wasn’t being held. Fili hesitated and slid into the seat, holding his bag close to his chest. Balin circled around to the driver’s side and got in, adjusting his seatbelt and turning the car on. “Do you think you can handle hearing what happened?”

Fili nodded. “Tell me, please.”

Balin did, giving him a brief overview of the situation as he drove down Mass Ave. It wasn’t a very long drive but it did let him fill Fili in on Kili’s health. Kili had been kidnapped two weeks ago and held for two days before he managed to get away and then been unconscious for four days before waking up. Since then he was mostly resting since the wound to his abdomen was relatively serious and his leg was not well enough to hold his weight. He would have to go through physical therapy but that was for later, once he healed. Fili looked pale as Balin told him of Kili’s status and there was guilt on the younger man’s face.

Fili remained quiet for the rest of the trip to the hospital and let Balin lead him through the halls.

“I want to get you checked out first,” Balin said. “Doctor Oin Hall has already been told of your situation and he’s going to see what we can do for you.”

“I’ve been to rehab for it before,” Fili said. “Before I came to Boston.”

“I’m assuming you started back on the drugs two weeks ago?” Balin asked. Fili nodded, walking slowly behind Balin. “The addiction has already taken hold then and you will be going through withdrawal. Doctor Hall can help you with that.”

Fili sighed and nodded. “Yeah, okay. Then we can see Kili?”

Balin nodded with a smile and knocked on the closed door of Oin’s office. There was a call to enter and Balin held the door open for Fili. Fili sighed, looking at him before entering the room. Balin closed the door and waited outside the office. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Dwalin to let him know Fili was with Oin and they’d be by to see Kili soon.

Their young prince had been positively snarly and bratty, demanding to know their progress every moment of the day. Thorin had ended up taking Kili’s phone from him early on to keep him from calling or texting for updates. He had only given it back when Fili’s text had come in and it had lead to Kili panicking and ripping the stitches in his stomach as he tried to leave the hospital to get to Fili. His sister in this life had been confused but adamant that Kili stay where he was, getting into a loud screaming match with him but getting Kili to stay in bed and let Balin, Bifur, and Gloin do their jobs. Kili had lucked out, having such a woman to look after him in this life in Dis’s absence. 

So many of them were missing from this life. Balin only hoped that they had been reborn as well.

His cell rang and he frowned to see it was Dwalin.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Where is Fili?” Kili demanded.

Balin chuckled. “Did you steal Dwalin’s phone, lad?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Kili said. “Fili. Where is he?”

“As I said in the text, he is with Oin right now. He started back on the drugs and Oin is coming up with a way to help him out that doesn’t require rehab. None of us want to put up with you for the time it would take for him to complete treatment.”

“Is he hurt?” Kili asked.

“His arm is broken from the car crash,” Balin said patiently. He could hear his brother shouting in the background and Kili giving as good as he got. He chuckled as he heard what sounded like a scuffle and his brother was telling him he’d call him back before the line went dead. He hoped Kili would be able to make Fili remember or he was going to become even more insufferable.

:::

Kili drummed his fingers against his good knee as he waited impatiently. Thorin and Dwalin were acting as his current jailers, the two playing some card game and smirking at each other while Kili felt about ready to climb the walls. He could feel Fili close by, could feel it in his soul, the itch and ache that had led him to Fili in the first place this time around, and he needed to see him now. Him being in the same space as Kili but not being near him was driving him crazy.

“Calm down,” Dwalin said as he laid a card down and Thorin cursed. “Balin will bring him by as soon as he can.”

“You don’t get it,” Kili snapped.

“Thank fuck I don’t,” Dwalin said. “I never wanted a soulmate before and I sure don’t want one now.”

Kili glared angrily. He would have thrown his pillow at the other man but they had confiscated them from him except for when he was sleeping after the first time he’d thrown them. 

“You’re just making him angrier,” Thorin said. “Kili, he’ll be here soon.”

“You saw that text!” Kili said. “How can you be so calm when you read the same words I did?”

“Because he is safe,” Thorin said.

“He ran away and he got hurt,” Kili said unhappily. “Stupid idiot.”

“You’ll get to yell at him later,” Dwalin said.

“Have you figured out how you’re going to make him remember?” Thorin asked. He laid down another card and smirked at Dwalin who threw his cards down in annoyance.

Kili shook his head. “Figure I’ll know how to do it when I see him.”

“You’re going to have to work out a way around the curse,” Thorin said.

“Point me at whoever decided to curse us and I will stick them full of arrows,” Kili said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Is this all a second chance or is it another way to punish us for some slight that none of us know?”

Dwalin started cleaning up the cards as Thorin got to his feet and walked over to carefully hug Kili. He pushed weakly at Thorin’s chest, fighting the hug but gave up and rested his head against Thorin’s shoulder. Thorin rubbed his back gently and Kili closed his eyes. He remembered so many similar embraces from Thorin across the years and it had never failed to calm him before. It was a new concept in this world but it still had the same effect. He relaxed, muscle by muscle, until he was limp in Thorin’s arms. His uncle slowly let go, pressing a kiss to his forehead and letting Kili rest against the bed.

“Everything will work out. It’s already started to, hasn’t it?” Thorin said as he gripped Kili’s hand.

“We’re already working on finding the others,” Dwalin said. “Bifur said he was going to go down to Nori’s pub and see what he could find. We’re still missing Bofur.”

“I still can’t believe Bombur’s my brother-in-law,” Kili said with a small smile.

“Bilbo too,” Thorin said. “Bilbo was part of our story and he’s still missing.”

Kili frowned, trying to think. “No, he’s not. He runs a little grocer near Fili’s.” Kili smiled as he remembered. “It’s a little hole in the wall called Bag End but it’s well stocked and pretty nice for a neighbourhood place.”

Thorin stared at him as Dwalin started laughing. “I’ll be damned,” Thorin said. “Guess it’s just Bofur then.”

Kili opened his mouth to ask about Gandalf when there was a knock on the door. He straightened up on the bed, feeling sparks crackling under his skin, and waited as Balin came in with Fili.

Fili looked horrible, that was the first thing that Kili noticed. His blond hair was messy and he needed a shower and a shave. There were dark circles under his eyes and his nose had a large cut over the bridge and looked like it might have been broken. His left arm was in a cast from his fingers to half-way up his arm and his clothes were generic things that barely fit him. His blue eyes were darting around the room and he looked jittery, his hand gripping a blood-stained messenger bag. Kili made a pained noise in the back of his throat at the sight of Fili looking so broken and determinedly started to get off the bed.

“Hell no, you little brat,” Dwalin snapped, lunging forward and pushing Kili back on the bed. “You pulled your stitches the last time and then we had to listen to you bitching and moaning the entire time. Fili, get your ass over here and keep him from doing something stupid, would you?”

Fili jumped slightly before coming over to sit on the bed. Kili pushed Dwalin away and grabbed at Fili’s face, pulling him into a kiss. Fili was stiff for a moment before kissing back, his hands coming up to pull Kili closer. Kili broke the kiss to press his face against Fili’s neck.

“Fee,” he whispered softly. “You’re here, you’re okay.”

“I’m sorry,” Fili said, burying his face in Kili’s hair. “I’m so sorry.”

“If you ever run away from me again I will hunt you down and make you regret it, you stupid idiot,” Kili said, pulling back just enough to meet Fili’s eyes.

Fili jerked back, staring at him. “What’d you say?”

“I said, you better not run from me. You would not like the results if you did,” Kili said, knowing instantly that it was what he needed to say. He remembered having said the same before the quest to Erebor when his stupid brother had tried to leave him behind. He reached out and cupped Fili’s face in his hands and kissed him. “You and me, Fee, always. Don’t you ever forget it. You are mine and I am yours. You’re not allowed to try and leave me behind for any reason because I will kick your ass.”

Fili was staring at him with wide eyes, his lips moving wordlessly. Kili’s heart was in his throat as he watched him, praying to Mahal that this was it, that this would bring his brother back to him. Fili reached out with his good hand, grabbing at Kili’s pants over his tattooed hip. Fili let out a soft groan, his head falling forward to hit Kili’s shoulder and he curled his body toward Kili. The sparking and crackling under Kili’s skin got worse and he shivered, wanting it to stop. He didn’t know what was going on, only knowing that it was approaching painful. He squeezed his eyes closed and tried to breathe through it.

It almost felt like it had that first time they had been together, when the had completed their soul bond. Only then it was warm, a slow ache with need and want and love pulling at him under his skin, against his very being. This was like that, only it felt like something kept trying to pull it back, like two opposing magnetic forces. The bond was trying to reestablish itself but it was being blocked by something. The curse? Was the curse trying to stop it?

Kili distantly heard Fili scream and gritted his teeth as he tried to ride out the pain. He could hear the machines he was hooked up to going crazy, beeping and alarms sounding. He gasped, the pain getting worse. He clutched at Fili, needing to feel him as he started to lose all feeling in his body. No, no, this couldn’t be happening. Something was wrong, something was so completely wrong.

Were they dying? Had they found each other only to die from it? What could be so cruel as to torment them like this? 

He was barely aware that he had started to scream too as blackness enveloped him and he knew nothing more. The machines had gone silent except for one that gave a long low flat beep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Absolutely. No. Apologies.


	13. Chapter 13

NB: Massive thanks to BlackValentinex and Phoebe-Artemis for helping me with the particulars of the Battle of Five Armies and where Gandalf and Bilbo were during the whole thing. This probably would have taken an enormous amount of time without them as I tried to figure everything out. AND. AS ALWAYS. A huge, massive thank you to Snarkasaurus for all her help in plotting and listening to be whine and basically helping straighten my ideas out. EVERYONE SHOULD WORSHIP HER. Cuz, well. I wouldn’t really be writing this long ass thing without her. :D (If you read Teen Wolf fic, go look her up. She is really a wonderful writer and deserves lots of love).

=

Gandalf stood on the battlefield, leaning heavily on his staff, as he look out across the many dead bodies. Already the body of Thorin was being cared for, as were the bodies of his nephews. They had been found together, curled into one another with hands grasping, Fili reaching out to lay a finger on Kili's mouth. Kili had his hand outstretched to wrap around one of the arrows in his brother's side, hand weakly grasping. It had been heartbreaking to see such life extinguished.

He had watched Bilbo walk out of Thorin's tent, the tears on the hobbit's face more heartbreaking than the wasted life. It was Gandalf's alt after all, wasn't it, that Bilbo had joined the dwarves. In a way it had been what the hobbit had most needed but it had also wounded his gentle heart. Thorin had been sweet on Bilbo, and it had been more than returned, and then the Arkenstone... That blasted gem had done more than enough damage for an Age. Gandalf would see it buried with Durins, damning it back to the earth from wence it came. 

But that was not a just punishment. Of all the dwarves, none but Fili and Kili had come out of any sort of pure intent. There was the desire for gold and wealth, status and position. There might be those who came out of loyalty, but none of it was purely that. Thorin's sister-sons had come out of love for their uncle, for loyalty to their line, and for the pure joy of seeing a home they had never even known. Gandalf had heard Kili mention how nice it would be to see their mother smile again when they were able to bring her home to Erebor. They had no care for gold or the crowns, they merely wanted to see their mother and uncle smile.

Three innocents had been harmed in this quest. It had needed to be done, the dragon had had to be dealt with, but it did not need to have come at this cost. Much could have been avoided if anyone had spoken sense to Thorin, if that ridiculous dwarf had resisted the gold madness, if... If. So many ifs.

There was one if that was for certain: the dwarves would be reborn in the new world, when it came. They would find each other, bound together through the strife of their quest, and they would have their second chances at destroying innocence. 

He straightened, taking his staff and striking it down on the earth three times, words falling softly from his lips as he called on magic. When they were reborn, their memories would be weakened and while they would know, they would not be able to make amends to those they had harmed.

He walked back to where he had left Bilbo and placed a comforting hand on the hobbit's shoulder. "Let us get you back to the Shire, hm?" he asked.

Bilbo nodded, sniffling and let himself be steered away.

But that was not the end of the spell.

Magic is a living, breathing, pulsating being with its own intent and purposes. It suits it, at times, to lend its talents to those who wish, but this had angered it. Magic thrived off possibility, endless and infinite, and the multitude of possibilities that life represented. To see two such young lives so full of potential infuriated it. There were complete time streams that had been snuffed before they could even be comprehended or completed. Ones that could have given birth to more magic were now utterly devoid of everything.

It could not be allowed to go unpunished. 

Magic took Gandalf's spell and wove it, but it continued with it, taking something benign and twisting it into malice. Magic cursed all of the Company for when they were reborn. Memories were to be sealed, unable to be voiced no matter what, and there would be no way to stop it aside from love. Only pure love, like the love of those who had died so needlessly, would be enough to satiate the debt owed to magic.

:::

There was nothing but darkness around him. He rubbed his chest, feeling an ache against his ribs, and looked around. Darkness. Absolute black. It was like he’d been thrown into the middle of a room painted black with no door or windows. There was something missing from the darkness, some key piece of him that he couldn’t see. He turned around, trying to search for it, but seeing nothing.

There was a strong shot, like a jolt of electricity, through his body and he yelled, crouching down and curling in on himself as he tried to catch his breath. He didn’t know what that was but he hoped it didn’t happen again. It hurt more than anything he could remember. The dark had lightened a bit at it, though, and he thought he saw a broken chain laying against the endless floor.

He reached down, feeling with his fingers, trying to find the chain and failing. He cursed, frustrated, and gave another yell of pain as more electricity shot through him. The room lightened and he grabbed the chain when he saw it, holding it tight as he waited out the pain. 

The chain was dull and rusted, links weak and almost falling apart in his hands. Some of the links started to glow, a soft gold color, and others remained dull. He reached out, folding the chain so that a gold link met a gold link. Where they met the grey and weak links turned to dust and slid through his hands.

He mended the chain, forcing the links together, making the chain glow gold stronger and stronger until it was shining as strong as the sun. He could feel the other end and who was at the other end, closing his eyes and relaxing in the warm feel of it. Fili. He was okay.

There was another strong burst of electricity and Kili let go of the chain, letting the electricity yank him out of the dark and back into his body. His back arched against the firm paddles on his chest, gasping, and there was hands and people trying to calm him. He groaned, turning his head and seeing only doctors and nurses, medical professionals. He needed Fili. 

But he could feel him. There was a surety, a warmth, under his skin that assured him that Fili was alive, well, and close. He relaxed, letting the medical staff attend to him, breathing and watched them try to figure out what had stopped his heart. Kili let them fuss as he basked in the warmth of the bond. It was back, after so long, and it was exactly what he needed. He could feel him.

Once the staff left, Thorin and Dwalin came back in. Fili had been taken to another room and Oin had rolled Fili’s bed into Kili’s room.

“The two of you okay now?” Dwalin asked.

Kili reached out as Fili did, their hands closing the distance between them. Kili smiled, his head turning to see Fili. Fili looked about as bad as Kili felt, but there was a ease to his smile and his eyes looked calmer. The others started forward in a panic at their touching but eased back when nothing happened.

“I feel you,” Fili murmured.

Kili squeezed his hand. He looked at Oin. “Can we?”

Oin motioned to Dwalin and Thorin, the two stepping forward and helping Fili into Kili’s bed. The two shifted until they were comfortably twined together on the bed. Oin checked their vitals while they leaned into each other.

“Did you feel that?” Kili asked. “In the dark?”

“The chain?” Fili asked. He reached out with his good hand and brushed his thumb over Kili’s lip. “It was weird. Before, before it was gone, like it got ripped out. But then it was back.”

“I had to fix it,” Kili said. “It was damaged.”

“But it’s back,” Fili said, leaning in to press his forehead against Kili’s. “I feel you. Like before. You’re here.”

“So’re you,” Kili said, kissing Fili’s thumb. He barely noticed the others leaving the room and closing the door softly behind them. “Fee...”

“Do you remember?” Fili asked. “All of it?”

Kili tilted his head, kissing Fili. “All of it. The Battle?”

“I remember watching you fall,” Fili said, his voice breaking. “That Orc... it. I can still see it. Still see you--” He pressed closer to Kili, kissing him until they were breathless.

“You feel it?” Kili asked, running a hand over Fili’s side. “The memories, they’re not... Uncle and the others all say its like watching a movie and remembering it clearly.”

Kili watched as Fili leaned into him, breathing in his breath. “I’m me and I’m me. I’m both at once,” he said. “it’s so weird.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Kili said with a smile. “We’re here. Together.”

“I’m sorry I ran,” Fili said.

“You didn’t know any better,” Kili said, curling close and closing his eyes. “I’ll kick your ass for it later.”

Fili held him close and they drifted off to sleep.

:::

“What was that?” Dwalin asked.

Thorin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It was odd. His nephews had touched, Fili obviously remembering, and then their hearts both stopped. The staff had done their best and had been ready to call it when Kili’s heart came back online, Fili following his brother. And then they had started talking. Nothing had stopped them from doing so, and they weren’t being careful with their words.

“My nephews,” Thorin said slowly, testing to see if he would be silenced. “I believe they broke the curse.”

Dwalin stared at him. “Holy shit.”

Thorin smiled. “This makes things a lot easier.”

“Does it?” Dwalin asked. “Or is it going to be harder? If we’re remembering then who else is?”

“I think we should take this one step at a time,” Thorin said. “Let’s not borrow trouble needlessly.”

“When the hell did I become the voice of reason,” Dwalin asked.

“You’ve always been the one to look after me,” Thorin pointed out. “I was the one dragging you into half the trouble we got into as kids.”

“Yeah, and I got us out,” Dwalin said. He rubbed his hands over his shaved head in annoyance and agitation. “All right. We’ve got our boys back, the curse is broken, more and more of us are remembering, and things have been dealt with about Fili’s situation. So, my King, what’re we going to do about Azog?”

Thorin glanced at the door to Kili’s room. “He wants Kili, that much is clear.”

“He did kill him,” Dwalin said. “Fili killed Bolg and Kili killed Azog. Both of them would be a sweet prize for him now.”

Thorin licked his lips, trying to think. It was an impossible situation. They knew nothing about Azog in this life, only that he wanted revenge. Balin and the others could use police resources to figure out Azog’s past and they already knew what his motive and goal was. They needed to know his methods.

“We should make sure they have police protection,” Thorin said. “Until we figure out a way to deal with him and until the boys heal up enough to leave.”

“Fili’s fine to leave now,” Dwalin said. “Kili’s not going anywhere for a bit.”

“You really think Fili’s going to leave Kili alone in here?” Thorin asked with a smile. “I dare you to be the one to make him leave.”

“Fuck no,” Dwalin said with a chuckle. “I’m not getting between those two. You know what, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you come back to mine and we’ll make dinner?”

“Dinner sounds good,” Thorin said. “It’s been a rough couple of days.”

“We might have to stop off and get groceries,” Dwalin said. Thorin frowned at him, about to ask what he meant. “I was thinking, there’s this little neighbourhood grocer I’ve been meaning to check out. We should go, see if we can find anything interesting to eat.”

Thorin snorted. “You’re horrible.”

“What? It’s a good idea.”

“Yes,” Thorin said. “Let’s go visit our grocer.”

:::

“What do you want to do, sir?”

“We’ll wait. They’ll be expecting me to make a move now. I will be patient and wait for the right time. And then we’ll kill them both at the same time.”

:::

“Kili,” Milena asked patiently, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Why is there another man in your hospital bed?”

Kili blinked at his sister sleepily as Fili stroked his hair. It was incredibly distracting and soothing. He and Fili had shifted while they were sleeping, Fili ending up on his back while Kili curled in around him and slept half on him. It was comforting and reassuring, hearing Fili’s heart beat under his ear. He refused to budge either, not caring what Milena thought. This was Fili, his brother, his soulmate. Everything and everyone else could go jump off a cliff.

“Hello again, Milena,” Fili said.

“Kili said you broke up with him,” Milena said.

“Yeah, it was a bit of a misunderstanding,” Fili said, still stroking Kili’s hair.

“Really?” Milean asked. “How is you breaking up with a misunderstanding?”

“Leave it alone, Lena,” Kili said sleepily. “We’re still together. He’s in my bed cuz I don’t trust him not to run off again and he’s hurt too. And he makes a very comfy pillow.”

Milena sighed. “You are so much trouble, little brother.”

“Yep,” Kili said, closing his eyes and curling close into Fili. “Fili’s not going anywhere so you should get used to him.”

Fili chuckled softly, his hand stilling and settling on Kili’s shoulder.. “I think you’d hunt me down and stick me full of arrows if I tried leaving.”

“Damned straight,” Kili said. “Keep petting.”

Fili resumed stroking his hair.

“Christ, he’s got you wrapped around his little finger, doesn’t he?” Milena sighed. “At least that means you’ve got someone to watch you when they release you. I was going to have you come stay with us but looks like you’ve already got a servant willing to attend to your every need.”

“Go away,” Kili whined. “You’re gonna make him stop petting me.”

“You are so spoiled,” Milena said. “Fine. I’ll go harass the police, see if they’ve made any progress on catching the animal who hurt you.”

“Yes,” Kili said, opening his eyes a little. “Go beat up on the unsuspecting police force. I already have a knight in shining armor to protect me.”

“My armor’s a little rusty,” Fili said. “And I think I lost my knighthood.”

Kili slid a hand down to pat Fili’s crotch. “Nope, still got it.”

“All right,” Milena said loudly. “I’m leaving. Don’t need to see or hear anything relating to my brother’s sex life.” She grabbed the purse she had discarded in a chair and leaned over to kiss Kili’s cheek. “You are so much trouble.”

“Good thing I’ve got a minder now,” Kili said with a smile at his big sister. She rolled her eyes at him, bidding both of them goodbye before leaving.

“I like her,” Fili said.

“She likes you too,” Kili said.

“Do you know how long they want to keep you here?” Fili asked.

“Uhm,” Kili said, trying to think. It was very hard when Fili was petting his hair and he wanted to sleep. “Not too much longer? Maybe another day or two, but who knows. They’re probably all freaked out from us almost dying.”

“I can’t wait to get you back home,” Fili said.

“Whose home?” Kili asked. “We both have our own places.”

“We’ll fix that later,” Fili said. “I also kind of don’t have a place to live anymore.”

“Mm, good. You can live with me,” Kili said happily. “It’ll be nice to have you with me.”

Fili kissed his forehead. “We’ll make the most of this second chance.”

“First thing we’re gonna do once we get out of here,” Kili said, “is going to have sex. Lots and lots of it.”

Fili slid his hand down Kili’s body to tap his hip. “You said you wanted to get the tattoo done. We should do that too.”

“We’ve got the rest of our lives,” Kili said, closing his eyes again. “There’s nothing we can’t do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My teeth are rotting. We're on a bit of a incline, probably the last real climb of the story. Which does mean there's another bit of a freefall before the end, but we'll leave that for later. Now we get to try and restore normalcy.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shortness. This was literally like pulling teeth. BUT HEY. YOU GOT LOTS OF PORN. ...yeah. **sigh** Oh, uhm. I know a lot of you wanted to see Bilbo and Thorin kind of reunite buuut yeah, no. Not writing that right now. Maybe for Mithril Arrows. Maybe. I dunno. (CAN YOU TELL I'M TIRED?!). 
> 
> ALSO. I LOVE ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS. ...I CANNOT ANSWER THEM ALL. D: I would love to but there are so many and I love them all but I could either answer all of you lovely, amazing, wonderful people...or write. I think you would all prefer I write. If you really crave response and conversation with me, I has an ask box on Tumblr. :D I...check it kind of obsessively while at work so I don't commit mass homicide. 
> 
> LOVE TO ALL OF YOU. ENJOY. (or dont...)

“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” Bard demanded when Kili walked into school a week later.

“Working?” Kili said with a frown. “At least, that was the general idea.”

“You should be at home, in bed, with that cute blond of yours,” Bard said, steering Kili into the administrator’s office. “You were shot. I know you’re still injured because no one recovers from bullet wounds that fast.”

“I never said I wasn’t injured,” Kili said. “But its close to finals--”

“THORIN!” Bard shouted as he knocked on the principal’s door. “Look who’s here!”

Thorin opened the door and arched an eyebrow at Kili. Kili sighed. 

“I’ll give Fili a call,” Thorin said. “How’d you manage to get past him?”

“He was still sleeping?” Kili said with a tiny smile.

Thorin turned, snagging his cell phone and pointing at a chair. “Sit. You keep getting into trouble whenever anyone takes their eyes off you.”

“Stupid idiot,” Bard said. He reached out and ruffled Kili’s hair gently. “Your kids will be fine. They’re all worried about you and want you to get better. The only way you’re going to is by resting.”

“Yes, but that’s boring,” Kili said.

Thorin was talking quietly on the phone, glancing at Kili as he did, and smiling slightly. Kili took that to mean that Fili was awake and less than pleased with him. Kili shifted in his seat, trying to ease the pressure on his abdomen. Fuck but bullet holes ached like a bastard. Bard caught him and smirked at him.

“Oh shut up,” Kili sighed.

Thorin hung up his cell. “Fili said he’ll be here as soon as he can grab a cab.”

“On a level of one to ten how pissed is he with me?” Kili asked.

“Twenty,” Thorin said. “I’m ranging at a fifteen myself. Bard, I’ll take care of Mr Durn from here if you wouldn’t mind attending to your duties?”

Bard squeezed Kili’s shoulder gently and gave a wave before disappearing out the door.

“So,” Thorin said. “What exactly are you doing here?”

Kili sighed. “I don’t like sitting still. You know he’s not done with us and it feels too much like I’m a prize goose waiting to be slaughtered.”

“Have you mentioned it to Fili?” Thorin asked.

“He’s got enough going on right now,” Kili said. “Whatever Oin gave him is helping with the withdrawal but it hasn’t cured it. I’m trying to be supportive for him and not stress him.”

“The two of you,” Thorin sighed. “You’re not allowed back to work for the next two weeks. If I see you stepping foot on this campus and I will turn you over to Dwalin.”

Kili bit his lip, trying not to smile. “Still using the same old threats, Uncle?”

“Sit there and keep your mouth shut until Fili gets here,” Thorin said, going around his desk and sitting down.

“Yes, Uncle,” Kili muttered, making himself comfortable in the chair.

:::

Fili held the door open for Kili, shaking his head as the taller man tossed his jacket and his bag on the floor by the door. Fili bit his lip and picked up the jacket, hanging it up and trying not to smile at Kili’s petulance.

“That was low,” Fili said, ushering Kili into the bathroom. He helped him out of his button up and took a look at the bandages on his middle. “You snuck out while I was sleeping.”

“You need your rest,” Kili said, trying to bat Fili’s hands away.

Fili poked Kili in the side. “You’re still bleeding.” Kili sighed and Fili went to grab the first aid kit. He knelt down next to Kili and pulled off the bandage, trying to make sure he hadn’t pulled any stitches. “You are just as impossible now as you were before.”

Kili smiled down at him and leaned over, kissing the top of Fili’s head. “I would apologize, but.”

“Don’t think being cute is going to make me forget what happened, Kee,” Fili said. He examined Kili’s wounds and nodded, thankful Kili hadn’t reinjured himself. He taped another gauze patch over the wound, slightly awkward with his arm in a cast. “You’re antsy and twitchy and it’s got to stop. You’re not going to heal this way and you know it.”

Kili grumbled under his breath as Fili got to his feet and put away the first aid kit. Kili stood and shucked his pants, getting undressed down to his underwear. Fili could see the bruises Azog had left on him, and the two car accidents, and the road rash along Kili’s thigh. He was healing but he needed to take it easy. Kili went back into the bedroom, tugging his hair out of its ponytail and running his hands through it to loosen it up.

Fili stayed where he was, feeling his breathing picked up and the way his hands started to shake. He went into the kitchen, grabbing a water bottle and opening the bottle of Clonidine Oin had given him. It was supposed to help with the withdrawal and it was, but he’d forgotten his earlier dose when he’d gotten chasing after Kili. He took the tablet, washing it down with water, and went into the bedroom. Kili was already in bed, the covers pulled up over his head.

Fili sat down and started taking off his shoes and his pants, leaving his shirt on, and got into bed. Kili moved, curling close around him once he was laying down.

“I’m sorry,” Kili said, burying his face against Fili’s arm. “I am bored and twitchy and I can’t shut my brain off.”

Fili rubbed his free hand over Kili’s side. “I know the feeling.”

“I’m worried,” Kili said. “So worried. None of this is over. It’s just starting and it’s going to get worse.”

“You think Azog is going to come back for us,” Fili said.

“Of course he is,” Kili said. “I would.”

“That’s a terrifying thought, you thinking like an orc.”

“Shut up you,” Kili sighed, kissing Fili’s bicep. “You feel it too, don’t you?”

Fili tugged Kili over with one hand so his brother was straddling him, resting his hand on Kili’s hip, looking down at him with his hair unbound and sliding over his shoulder. “It doesn’t matter what I feel. If it’s going to happen, it will.” He rolled his hips under Kili’s, smiling as Kili bit his lip to keep back a moan. “How about I distract you and show you that being bedridden can sometimes be enjoyable?”

Kili watched him as they moved together, teasingly, through the barrier of their underwear. “Fee,” he whispered.

“Think you can ride me without tearing your stitches?” Fili asked, moving his hands, one still so awkward within its cast, so they cupped Kili’s ass. He ground up against Kili, watching as Kili’s mouth opened in a soft moan. 

“Yeah,” Kili managed to say, licking his lips and looking down at Fili hungrily. He reached down, tugging at Fili’s shirt. “I think I can.”

:::

Nori looked up as Dwalin walked in with a tall man that had him laughing. “Why am I not surprised?” he asked, pouring Dwalin a beer and Thorin a glass of wine. “I should have known you two would have found each other, Guardsman.”

Dwalin snorted and picked up the beer, taking a healthy sip. “When did you remember?” he asked.

Nori smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Thorin sipped the wine, taking a seat at the bar while Dwalin continued standing. “We’ve been trying to find everyone. Dwalin thought you might have an idea.”

Nori shrugged. “Kili’s been in a couple of times, same with Fili. Bofur’s a regular, but you know that since Bifur found him last week. Ori comes in every now and then to talk to Bofur but that’s it.”

“No one else?” Dwalin frowned.

“Nope,” Nori said. “Why?”

“We’ve found Bombur and Dori, and Gloin, Oin, and Balin,” Thorin said.

“Bilbo too,” Dwalin said with a grin. “That was fun.”

“That’s all of us, isn’t it?” Nori asked. He hopped up to sit on the bar as Dwalin finally took a seat. Thorin was regarding the wine thoughtfully.

“We were hoping for others,” Dwalin said. “Thranduil’s here, same with Azog.”

Nori hesitated. “Azog’s the one that grabbed Kili, isn’t he?” At their startled looks Nori pointed to the TVs he had in the bar. “I watch the news. If he’s back then it makes sense he’d go for the one who killed him.”

Dwalin chuckled, toasting Nori with his pint before draining some more from the glass. “Not bad, thief.”

Thorin shook his head. “Not everyone remembers.”

“It’ll be easier now we can talk about it,” Nori said. “How’d you manage that?”

“Fili and Kili broke it,” Thorin said. “I don’t know how but they did. We should find out who cursed us in the first place.”

“Does it matter?” Nori asked. “It is what it is. I’m more interested in reconnecting with the rest of the company.”

Dwalin rubbed his chin. “We could just bring them all here.”

Nori grinned. “Works for me. I’ll see if I can get someone to cater for us. You don’t want my cook getting pissed at us.”

“Want to set it for next Saturday?” Dwalin asked. “It’ll give us enough time to tell everyone.”

“Just us dwarves or are we going to bring in our hobbit too?” Nori asked.

“All of us,” Thorin said. “Bilbo is as much one of us as he was a hobbit.”

“Just checking,” Nori said. He hopped off the bar and went looking for the bar’s phone. “Who else were you hoping to find?”

Dwalin finished his beer and set it down on the counter, pulling out a couple of bills. “Dis and Frerin. We weren’t the only ones brought back, means that the others might be around too.”

Nori looked at Thorin, who was examining the red liquid in his glass before taking a sip. He turned, arching a brow at Dwalin, who gave him a small smile. “You never know,” Nori said finally. “Maybe they’ll remember and come find us. Kili’s been in the news a lot lately, not just local. His kidnapping made national news. If they’re out there, they’ll come find us.”

:::

“Get back in bed, Kili,” Fili said, not even opening his eyes. He was warm and relaxed in bed, but he would get out and drag his idiotic lover back into bed by his hair if the need arose. He could feel Kili’s twitchiness and need to move through the bond, the feeling so strong he even felt a little fidgety.

“You’re getting better at reading the bond,” Kili said with a sigh as he crawled back into bed.

“You’re making it a necessity,” Fili said, reaching out with his good hand and dragging Kili against his chest. He nuzzled the warm skin of his neck, nibbling along his shoulder teasingly. “No sneaking around on me.”

“Maybe I was going to the kitchen to cook something,” Kili said, letting Fili’s hands slide along his skin.

“You were gonna make a run for it,” Fili said. “You feel all twitchy and grumpy.”

“I’m sick of these walls,” Kili admitted, whimpering slightly as Fili moved so his hips were lined up along Kili’s, grinding lazily. One of Fili’s hands wrapped around his cock, stroking him slowly. “You need to stop distracting me with sex,” Kili said, trying to be stern.

“Not gonna happen,” Fili murmured, sucking and biting along Kili’s neck. “Want you too much.”

Kili moaned softly as Fili moved his hips a bit, his cock sliding against his crack before pushing inside. They’d had sex earlier, Kili still slick and open from before, still welcoming Fili inside him. Kili pushed back, wanting, as Fili stroked his cock slowly. Kili brought one leg up to his chest, moving just a little to give them more room and space for leverage. It was slow, careful, Fili wanting to get Kili off with as little stress to his still healing wounds as possible. Kili groaned at the slow sex, moving with Fili, the bond telling Fili how much Kili was enjoying himself. 

The build was slow and powerful, Fili fighting against the urge to roll them over and pin Kili down, instead leaning against him and sucking bruises and leaving stinging bites along his shoulders and neck. He tightened his hand around Kili, stroking him as the other man rocked into his hand and back against him. It took longer than it normally did, the two of them teasing each other with the lazy pace, and it was Fili who caved first, panting against Kili's ear as he came. Kili shuddered in his arms, tilting his head to catch Fili's lips in a hungry kiss. Fili kissed him, slowly slipping free and moved down Kili's body, nuzzling and dropping kisses as he went.

"Fuck, Fili," Kili groaned, arching up under Fili's hands and mouth. Fili nibbled along the soft skin of the inside of Kili's thigh, nuzzling at his balls teasingly. Kili spread his legs and arched his hips and Fili chuckled before mouthing at his sac and sucking them gently into his mouth as he stroked Kili’s cock. Kili reached down, his hand threading through Fili’s hair and using it to move Fili where he wanted him to go. “Mouth, cock,” Kili growled lowly. “Now.”

Fili tipped his head, giving Kili’s thigh a quick nip before leaning in, taking Kili’s cock in his mouth and sucking and licking at him hungrily. Kili groaned, his hand tightening in Fili’s hair as Fili worked him, until Kili came with a sharp gasp. Fili swallowed, licking him clean as he slowly pulled off. He looked Kili over, checking his gauze for blood, as Kili panted under him.

“Can’t wait to heal,” Kili murmured. “I want you to fuck me hard and rough.”

Fili kissed Kili’s cheek as he stretched out next to him. “Bones take longer to heal than flesh. I’m going to be out of commission a lot longer than you.”

“Shh,” Kili murmured. “Don’t remind me.” 

Fili pulled Kili in close to him, resting his broken arm over Kili’s hip and closed his eyes. “Go to sleep, Kee.”

“You going to distract me so wonderfully every time I get the twitches?” Kili asked, moving just enough to pull the covers up over them.

“Maybe,” Fili said. “Now, go to sleep.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long between chapters. I got stuck. And I'm...grumpy with this story. But we'll be getting to the good stuff soon.
> 
> EDIT: Oops. Someone kindly pointed out I forgot to put Fili's consent in there. So that's there now. Sorry. :x Bad writer is bad.

Fili let Kili tie him to the bed with the bondage tape, the vinyl sticking to itself and not the cast or Fili’s skin but also keeping him secure against the bed posts.

“Explain why I’m letting you do this again?” Fili asked as he tested the bonds.

“Because you have this compulsion of grabbing my hips whenever you want, like they’re a leash on me,” Kili said, leaning down and kissing Fili. “And if you touch my new tattoo anytime in the next three days I will make sure the only sex you’re having is with yourself.”

“Now that’s just cruel,” Fili said, nipping Kili’s lip.

Kili sat up and trailed a finger over Fili’s naked chest. He had settled in Fili’s lap, watching him as he licked his lips, and ground against him teasingly. “I kind of like this, having you all tied up and under me. It’s a bit of a change. A good one.”

Fili arched a brow, watching him as he felt him through the bond. Kili was plotting something, a secret bit of wickedness leaking through the bond, and FIli wanted so much to get answers out of him. Fili nudged Kili with his hips, arching a brow.

“You’re going to do more than just look any me?” Fili asked.

Kili leaned down and kissed him again. “You liked watching me, didn’t you? Getting the tattoo, watching me get marked as yours again.”

“You know I did,” Fili said. “I want to touch it, worship it, like I did before.” He tugged slightly at the bonds, not really conscious of his attempt to get free.

“Three days,” Kili reminded him. “If I need to keep you tied down for the next three days I will. I’d enjoy it too, having you at my tender mercies the entire time. Leaving you here in bed for me to have and use whenever I want. Now that's sexy."

Fili grinned at him. "You wouldn't dare."

"You have no idea what I would or wouldn't do," Kili said. "We may be who we were in Middle Earth but that doesn’t mean that’s all we are anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Fili asked.

Kili smiled, leaning down and kissing Fili before leaning over and grabbing lube and a condom. Fili bit his lip, watching as Kili raised himself up on his knees, slicked fingers reaching back to slide inside himself. Fili could feel the crackle of want and lust and ache through the bond and he loved it, focusing just a little more on Kili, feeling what he felt as he worked himself open.

“You like using the bond, don’t you?” Kili panted, his hips rocking down against his fingers. “You never used to.” He slid his fingers out of himself and grinned down at Fili, his eyes dark with hunger.

“Things were different back then,” Fili said, holding his hips still as Kili ripped open the condom and rolled it down over him. “I knew you as well as I knew myself.”

Kili gave a soft chuckle before moving over Fili and wrapping a hand around him, keeping him still as Kili slowly pushed down onto him. Kili watched him as he took FIli inside him, a soft moan let loose from his chest. “You still know me,” Kili said, voice choked.

“Not like before,” Fili said as he held still. He’d know when Kili was ready for more. He saw Kili’s smile slide across his face and groaned. “I just made your argument for you.”

“Yes you did,” Kili said as he started to move, his hands on Fili’s chest. He toyed with the nipple piercings, making Fili gasp and thrust up against him. Kili let his head fall back as he rode Fili, hands on his chest for balance as he worked himself along Fili’s cock. Fili had spread his feet on the bed, giving him the ability to thrust up as Kili moved down to wring delicious little gasps and moans from Kili. “Close,” Kili gasped as a warning, one hand tugging and toying with the metal ring through Fili’s nipple. “Trust me?” he asked, voice high and unsteady.

Fili tugged uselessly as the tape, wanting so badly to touch Kili, but he’d been tied up nice and tight. Kili had known what he was doing. 

“Always,” Fili said. “Always.”

Fili groaned, giving up and moving under Kili as best he could. He wanted to grab him, to grip those hips, to control his brother’s pace and stake his claim. He was so focused on watching the way Kili moved that he almost missed Kili leaning down but he definitely noticed Kili’s hands wrapping around his throat and squeezing as he cut off his air. Fili gasped, startled, only to have Kili leaned down and kiss him as he choked him. Kili kept up the pressure as Fili started to see black spots sparkling in his vision. He yanked at his hands and tried to breathe against Kili’s mouth and hands and he felt himself starting to come.

And suddenly Kili’s hands were gone and he was moaning Fili’s name as they both came. Fili was boneless, gasping for air as he stared at Kili. The bastard was smiling at him, panting and looking very satisfied with himself, Fili tried to glare but he hardly had use of all his faculties.

Kili leaned down, kissing him gently, before lifting himself off Fili and disposing of the condom. He grabbed a knife from the bedside table’s drawer and used it to slice through Fili’s bonds. It was a good knife, something that they might have had in their other life. Kili peeled the bondage tape away from Fili’s hands and put the knife away before climbing back onto the bed and curling up next to Fili.

“What the fuck was that?” Fili asked, raising a hand to rub at his throat.

“Didn’t like it?” Kili asked, nuzzling him tiredly.

“I’m not even sure what just happened,” Fili said.

Kili pressed his face against Fili’s arm, trailing his fingers along the curve of Fili’s muscles to where the cast was. “I said that we weren’t the same as before, right? Well, this is kind of part of that.”

Fili reached over and tugged on a bit of Kili’s hair. “Explain. Like, right now.”

“So, before, it was always just you and me,” Kili said, lifting his head to kiss Fili. “Not complaining, you’re all I ever needed back then. Here, though, I’ve had a lot of relationships. Men and women. And by a lot I mean I kind of lost count.”

“Why does it not surprise me you were a slut?” Fili asked, grinning.

“Not a slut,” Kili huffed. “I had a bunch of one night stands and maybe a total of ten semi-serious relationships? They never really lasted all that long. I was probably looking for you the entire time, just never knew it, and I got rid of them all when it was obvious they weren’t you.”

Fili flicked Kili’s ear. “That doesn’t explain the choking me.”

“So, I had a couple of boyfriends and a really out there girlfriend who were kinky,” Kili said. “You already know I have a fair number of kinks--” Fili snorted at that. “--but some of them are ones we never really played with before.”

“Like what?” FIli asked, tipping Kili’s head back for a kiss. “You’ve got a lot of new ones you’ve shown me.”

“Yeah, but those are toys,” Kili protested, nipping Fili’s lip. “These are a little...more.”

“Go on,” Fili said, frowning. Kili was being edgey and avoiding his eyes. Whatever it was Kili wasn’t exactly proud of, or fond of.

“So, you came really hard when I choked you, right?” Kili said. “Like, vision going dark and swimmy and you can feel the desperation for oxygen and then you came and it was intense and you’re all boneless.”

“Yeah,” Fili said slowly. “And?”

“I love it,” Kili said. “And knife play. It’s a little weird and not everyone likes it, but I figured if I was going to explain about it, I might as well have shown you first.”

“You want me to choke you during sex,” Fili said slowly, trying to make sure he understood.

Kili kissed Fili. “You don’t have to. I was just kind of telling you.”

“I’ll think about it,” Fili said, tugging Kili close and trying very hard not to touch his hip with it’s thick black lines of ink.

Kili smiled and curled into Fili’s side in contentment.

:::

Kili opened the door and smiled at Thorin. “Does this mean I can come back to work?” he asked as he stepped aside for Thorin to enter.

“Not yet,” Thorin said. He gestured to Kili’s stomach and mimed lifting his shirt. Kili arched an eyebrow, trying not to laugh, but pulled his shirt up. The wound was stitched closed, the flesh around it pink with new skin and the beginnings of scar tissue. “You can come back when the stitches come out.”

“Now that’s just plain mean,” Kili said. “You didn’t come here to tell me when I could come back so what’s up?”

“Can’t an uncle come and see his nephews without being questioned?” Thorin asked.

Kili snorted and lead Thorin into the kitchen, grabbing them both beers and handing one over. He hopped up on the counter and twisted off the cap, tossing it in the sink as he did so. “Nope,” he said as he took a sip of his beer. Thorin chuckled and cracked his beer open as well, tossing the cap in the sink with Kili’s. “So, here’s a question. How long have you known? Me and Fili were trying to figure it out.”

“I’ve always known,” Thorin said, leaning against the counter. “Dwalin’s known for six years. Balin said that him and Gloin remembered about four years ago and Bifur was eight years ago.”

“Bombur doesn’t know,” Kili said. “I called and talked to him but he didn’t know anything when I asked if he remembered Bofur and Bifur.”

“It usually takes some big event for people to remember, it seems,” Thorin said. “You remembered when Azog took you. Balin and Gloin were nearly killed when they remembered and Bifur said he was in a car accident and then he remembered.”

“Dwalin?” Kili asked, turning the beer bottle over and over in his hands.

Thorin shrugged, drinking from the bottle. “He won’t say if there was anything traumatic.”

Kili lifted the bottle to his mouth but paused, setting the bottle down and pointing at Thorin. “You knew who I was when you hired me. When I hit on you!”

Thorin’s lips twitched. “I did.”

“Oh fucking hell,” Kili groaned. “That’s embarrassing.”

“You’re telling me,” Thorin said. “I had no idea how to respond to that.”

“I don’t remember you responding at all. You gave me this look and walked away. Pretty clear on the whole never going to happen but...” Kili frowned. “Wait a second. If you remembered then why did you keep such a distance? I was convinced you couldn’t stand me. Except the archery team and the fundraisers, but you still didn’t say a word to me that you didn’t need to.”

Thorin looked around. “Where’s Fili?”

“On the roof sketching, don’t change the subject,” Kili said.

Thorin cleared his throat and took another long drink from his beer. Kili narrowed his eyes at him and waited. If his uncle really wanted to test wills he should remember Kili taught high school and dealt with stubborn teenagers that put his stubborn uncle to shame. Thorin sighed and set the bottle down.

“Guilt, I suppose,” Thorin said. “Curiosity. I wanted to see who you had become without everything that had defined us for so long. It was me and my quest that got you and your brother killed but then this world happened and, well. Things are different here. People are different. We don’t have the bonds and baggage we did in Middle Earth. You are so much more than you were before.”

Kili picked his bottle up and took a sip. “We are different,” he agreed. “Dwalin wasn’t much of a blacksmith before, he liked fighting too much. Fili too. But they end up in the forge almost every day. Nori runs a bar instead of stealing from people. Bifur, Balin, and Gloin are cops when they didn’t used to be so invested in keeping the peace. But there are a lot of us who are still the same.”

“Ori and Bombur?” Thorin asked with a smile.

“Ori’s certainly more successful,” Kili said. “Fili googled him. He’s won awards for his writing and he’s at the Globe. That is one cutthroat paper and impossible to get hired at. If Ori’s there then he’s also got a bit more of spine than before.”

“Doesn’t have Dori mothering him every second of the day,” Thorin said.

“I felt so bad for Ori on the quest,” Kili said, smiling and drinking more of his beer. “Never before had I been so grateful that you let Fili and me make our own messes and then have us find a way out of them.”

“Dori’s your neighbour now,” Thorin said. “Did you know that?”

Kili blinked. “Holy crap he is. I’d forgotten that.”

Thorin shook his head. “You’re impossible.”

Kili aimed a kick at Thorin’s side, grinning when his uncle let it connect and gave a soft oof of protest. “So why’d you stop by?”

“We’re having a get together,” Thorin said. “At Nori’s bar in a couple of days. I want you and Fili to be there.”

“Who’s going to be there?”

“Everyone,” Thorin said. “We’re going to see if we can make those who don’t remember remember. I also need you to get Bombur to come, since he’s your brother-in-law.”

Kili nodded. “Can do. Maybe all of us in one spot will be enough to get the others to remember without us having to do anything.”

“You don’t really believe that,” Thorin said. “Magic doesn’t work that easily.”

Kili shrugged. “Me and Fili broke that other curse.”

“And almost died in the process,” Thorin snapped. “That was the single most terrifying experience of my life.”

Kili rolled his eyes and took a sip of his beer. He wouldn’t deny it was terrifying but he had to do it and he would do it all over again if need be. “Did you see Bilbo yet?” he asked.

Thorin glanced at his beer before taking a sip. “We did. He doesn’t seem to remember. Or, if he does, he doesn’t want to acknowledge us.”

Kili rubbed his chin, scratching idly at the stubble there. “Give it time.”

“When did you decide to get so wise?” Thorin asked, smiling.

“I had a younger sib,” Kili said. “Middle child now, not the baby. And then there’s the whole having to grow up fast for everything else, the Olympics and older teammates.”

“I will destroy Thranduil the next time I see him, just to let you know,” Thorin told Kili.

“Why?” Kili asked. “He doesn’t remember and he was nothing but nice to me. He helped me through some really rough shit and I owe him a lot.”

“He taped you two having sex,” Thorin said. “And sent it to me.”

Kili burst out laughing. “Oh god, he did? That’s awesome.”

Thorin stared at him like he’d grown another head. “Awesome?” he asked, sounding strangled.

“I know about the sex tape,” Kili said, finishing off his beer and setting the bottle behind him on the counter. “I was the one who suggested it, actually. He’s not a bad guy in this life. He likes putting his archers through hell to make them better and you’re not going to find a better coach then him, but he’s also got his kid. He loves Legolas and would do anything for him. Hell, if he sent that tape to you then he does remember and he was still willing to help me out.”

“What do you mean?” Thorin asked.

Kili rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from Thorin. “So, when Fili broke up with me because of Vaughn and everything I got kind of twisted up. So I called Thranduil and was heading over to see him when Azog grabbed me.”

“Why would you go see Thranduil of all people?” Fili asked, coming in through the window from the fire escape.

“Cuz,” Kili said. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

Fili shook his head, setting his sketchbook down on the counter. “Hey Thorin,” he said.

“Fili,” Thorin said, toasting him with his beer. “You do realize that we’ve got a problem on our hands, right?”

Fili frowned, heading to the fridge to grab a can of coke. “What problem?”

“Your brother is a pain in the ass,” Thorin said.

“He’s always been a pain in the ass,” Fili said with a smile at Kili. “He’s just a lot more assertive now than he ever was before.”

“Yep,” Kili said cheerfully. “I didn’t have either of you growing up this time. You all get to reap the benefits of not having to deal with me when I was a teenager. Because I am a hell of a lot more together than I would have been. Than I was.”

“I like it,” Fili said, leaning against the counter next to Kili, reaching out to take his hand with his broken arm.

“I just...Thranduil?” Thorin asked.

Kili shook his head. “You wouldn’t get it. He’s not an elf anymore.”

“No but he’s still a bastard,” Thorin said. “He was disgustingly smug at that gala knowing I couldn’t say anything to him because of the curse.”

Kili grinned. “I think it’s funny. You and Thranduil and your alpha male bullshit.”

“I’m not getting into this with you,” Thorin said, setting his beer down on the counter. “You are obviously biased.”

“Biased into laugh at both of you,” Kili said.

“We’ll meet up at Nori’s bar on Saturday, around four,” Thorin said. “Remember, Bombur.”

“Who’s going to invite Dori?” Kili asked.

“I can do it,” Fili said. “He’s up on the roof a lot. He’s got a little garden up there so we’ve talked when I’ve been drawing.”

“There we go,” Kili said with a shrug. “We’ve got those two covered, you’ve got the rest.”

“You doubt me?” Thorin asked.

“All the damned time,” Kili said. He was grinning as Thorin rolled his eyes. He should know by now that Kili wasn’t the same person as before but now he had his previous memories and he knew how much he enjoyed tweaking his uncle. Thorin was a lot more easy going now but he still had some of the same buttons that Kili could push. It was highly enjoyable.

“I’m going to leave now,” Thorin said, pointing at Kili. “Before you start getting mouthy.”

“I’m always mouthy,” Kili said. “Just ask Fili.”

“He’s very good with his mouth, I’ll give him that,” Fili said, trying so hard not to smile and failing miserably.

“The both of you,” Thorin sighed. “What happened to respect?”

“No such thing as respect inside this family,” Kili said. “Everyone and everything is fair game.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The. End.

“I need to go for a run,” Kili said, kissing Fili. “I’m going to lose it if I don’t. I can’t do kickboxing, I can’t go to the range and practice, at least let me go for a run around the block.”

Fili tugged Kili down onto the bed with him, kissing him and wrapping an arm around his waist. “You need to move that bad?” he asked, rubbing Kili’s back.

Kili grinned. “I do,” he said, squirming against Fili. “As much fun as sex is it’s not the same as working out until your limbs shake.”

“I remember that being me,” Fili said. “Always out in the practice yards with my swords. You used to pour me into bed sometimes because I over did it.”

“Those were fun days, though,” Kili said, kissing the tip of Fili’s nose. “Now, however, I’m gonna go run myself until my limbs shake and then you can pour me into bed and do whatever you want with me.”

Fili kissed him. “Get me my sketchbook before you go?”

Kili slid off the bed and grabbed the thick black spiral notebook and the pencil sitting on top of it and handing it off to Fili. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Fili waved at him, pencil in hand as he flipped the book open and to a clean page. Kili smiled and grabbed his phone, his headphones, and his keys. He left the apartment, plugging his headphones into the phone and calling up his music as he jogged down the stairs. He closed the door behind him, music blaring in his ears as he started running down the street.

Running was mindless, just the music and the sweat pouring down his back, his feet pounding away at the pavement as he jogged down the street and through parks. He ran until his legs were shaking and then he walked slowly, breathing heavily, back to the apartment.

He was maybe a block from it when he heard a loud boom, almost like a car backfiring but amplified a million times. There was another, and then another, and Kili pulled his earphones out. He heard screaming and saw smoke and fire. He dropped the headphones, hands numb. He knew that sound. He’d seen the videos and heard the audio from the Marathon bombings.

Those were bombs.

He saw the smoke and the placement and felt his heart stop. No. No, not there. He ran, forgetting how shakey his legs left, forgetting how tired he was, he ran. His building, his home, was nothing more than smoke, fire, and rubble. Six floors had collapsed, bombs levelling it to the ground. People were screaming and there was blood splattered across the sidewalk and the street. Cars had been blown away, flipped over, people pinned and killed.

Kili stood there, his heart aching, breath stopping as he realized he couldn’t feel Fili through the bond. There was nothing, just silence and emptiness. It felt like before, when he hadn’t known Fili, when they weren’t together.

There was nothing.

Kili fell to his knees, staring at the devastation as people around him cried and screamed. This couldn’t be happening to him. Not when they’d finally found each other again. No.

No.

:::

Kili pounded on Thorin’s door, not caring how late it was or that he probably looked crazed. He didn’t care because Fili was gone and someone needed to pay. Azog needed to pay. Thorin opened the door and let out a sharp breath when he saw Kili.

“Fili?” Thorin asked.

“I don’t...he. Azog. He needs to pay,” Kili said, not wanting to think about Fili, about the gaping black hole in his chest where his heart used to be.

Thorin pulled Kili inside, closing the door, and leading him to the living room. “The news said they were still going through the wreckage.”

“I can’t feel him, Uncle,” Kili said, his hands going up to bury his fingers in his hair and he dropped into a chair. “The bond, it’s gone. Tell me, would it be gone if Fili were alive?”

Thorin sat next to him, a hand on his shoulder. “I won’t believe him dead until I see a body.”

Kili shook his head, nails digging into his scalp. “We need to fight him. Kill him. Azog, he can’t get away with this. He needs to, I need to stop him. I can’t, please, Uncle, I need your help. We need to, we have to, stop him.”

“He does need to be stopped,” Thorin said. “Times have changed, though. We can hardly go haring off and kill a man without getting thrown in jail for it.”

Kili shook his head. “I don’t care. He needs to die, to pay and pay and pay for what he’s done. I don’t want to be hunted by him for the rest of my life. I want to make him suffer for what he did. Fili...” Kili swallowed, his throat closing and he let his hands drop into his lap. “Uncle, please...”

Thorin nodded. “Let me call Balin. He had started looking for Azog when we got you back. He might have some leads.”

"Do what you need to so long as I have a target to kill," Kili said. "I'm ending him, Uncle, no matter the consequences."

:::

"You haven't found Fili yet?" Thorin asked. He was on the phone with Balin in the kitchen, talking quietly so that Kili didn't overhear him. His nephew had fallen into a light, restless sleep on the couch and Thorin did not want to wake him.

"We're still going through the wreckage," Balin said. "We found Dori. He had been crushed by a wall. The death toll is pretty high but we've also got those injured who will be fine after some care. A lot of broken bones, a lot of smoke inhalation, a lot of cuts. For all we know, Fili wasn't even in the building when it went up."

Thorin sighed, opening the fridge and pulling out a bottle of wine. "You don't believe that."

"No, but one can hope," Balin said grimly. "Those boys have been through enough already."

"Doesn't mean that we're done paying for the past," Thorin said. "Never mind that. Have you found anything on Azog?" He opened the bottle and poured himself a glass.

"Nothing useful," Balin said. "He's a ghost. People see him and then they die and no one's been able to pin anything in him or arrest him either."

"No one will be able to arrest him," Thorin said, sipping his wine. "It'll be death or nothing."

"I hope you are wrong, if only for Kili's sake," Balin said. "This is not something that will end well, or cleanly."

"I don't think this is supposed to end cleanly," Thorin said. "Too much has happened to let this just end. If Kili does manage to kill Azog there will be nothing but repercussions, even if Fili is alive."

"Then make sure whatever happens is in self-defense and can be seen as such," Balin said. "Self-defense will do everything in the world to protect Kili, especially since we have his description of the kidnapper on file. But if he hunts him down it's going to look like revenge and that will be murder. No one can protect Kili from that."

"A good lawyer could," Thorin said. He looked down at his wine and sighed. "You're right, of course. Keep me updated in what you find? I want to try and control the situation, keep Kili from doing anything rash, as much as I can."

"Of course, Thorin," Balin said.

They said their goodbyes and Thorin set his phone down on the counter. He picked up his wine and walked into the living room, watching Kili as he slept fitfully, gasping out Fili's name as he tossed on the couch. Thorin had wanted to move Kili to the guest room but knew if he woke him then it was likely Kili would never fall back asleep. He sighed, taking a healthy sip of the wine, and sat down in one of the chairs as he tried to think. He was interrupted by a banging on the door and Kili jerking awake. Thorin frowned, looking at the time and then back at Kili. It was just a little past one in the morning. Kili was wide eyed and panicky looking, glancing around the room before flopping back against the couch cushions. 

"Are you all right?" Thorin asked, reaching over to grip Kili's shoulder.

Kili sighed, turning into Thorin's touch. "Fili..." he murmured softly.

Thorin nodded and stood as there came another knock. "I'm coming," he called, walking towards the door. Something, he didn't know what, made him stop and hit the wall, which was the only that prevented him from being riddled with bullets.

"Thorin!" Kili shouted, getting off the couch and running over to him. 

Thorin grabbed him, pulling him down onto the ground with him. The door had been heavy wood and the bullets were punching holes in the door. Thorin kept Kili down near the ground with him, trying not to make any noise. Once the rain of bullets stopped Thorin grabbed Kili's arm and pulled him into the bathroom. They closed the door and crouched down low as they heard the door kicked in.

"What the hell is going on?" Kili hissed.

"I think that might be Azog," Thorin said. "He probably thinks he took care of you and Fili both with those bombs." Kili stood up, looking around for a weapon, and Thorin grabbed him. "You stupid idiot, are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"If Azog is on the other side of that door I am going to kill him," Kili snapped, trying to yank himself free of Thorin's grip. "Let me go! He hurt Fili!"

"Don't be stupid," Thorin snapped.

"Please," Kili said, still struggling against Thorin's hold. "Let me go."

"If Fili is alive he will never forgive me if I let you get hurt," Thorin said. "We need to try and work out a plan of attack. If Azog is out there then we need to figure out what to do."

Kili stopped struggling and rubbed at his eyes with his hand. "Dammit. Okay. When he had me he had a bunch of thugs with him. Guns. Which we already know since they shot down your door. How many do you think are out there?"

Thorin listened carefully. "Two, maybe three."

"We can take that," Kili said. "Easy."

"You sure?" Thorin asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Kili glared at him. "I'm sure."

Thorin smiled and stood up, going over to the door. They slowly opened it, easing out of the bathroom, and grabbing the two thugs they saw from behind. Thorin put one of them in a chokehold, hand over his mouth so he couldn't cry out. Kili wrapped a hand around his and clamped a hand over his mouth and twisted his head to the side quickly, letting the guy slump unconscious to the floor. Thorin arched an eyebrow at Kili, surprised, and grinned as his nephew glared at him. Kili was full of surprises these days.

They kept to the walls as they crept further into the apartment. There was another thug which Kili dealt with, getting him on the floor and punching him in the back of the head, while Thorin watched in approval. They made it to the living room before being seen. Azog was standing there, waiting, with two goons behind him.

"Thorin Oakenshield," the tall albino man said, smiling. "And Kili, son of Dis. You're worse than a cockroach. How many times do I need to kill you?"

"Death doesn't tend to stick with me," Kili said.

"Stuck with that brother of yours," Azog sneered. He pulled the gun out of his hip holster and cocked it as he pointed it at Kili and Thorin. "I'm about to make it stick for the both of you as well."

Kili stepped forward with a murderous look. "You killed him," he snarled.

"He killed my son," Azog said. "He deserved worse than being blown up."

Kili lunged at him, hand going around the barrel if the gun while Thorin grabbed a hockey stick from where he'd left it against the wall. He and Dwalin had played street hockey for the first time in years and he'd just left his gym bag and stick out rather than putting it away. He swung it at the thugs coming his way, slamming the shaft into one's throat and crushing his wind pipe. The other dodged and came at him, fists swinging. Thorin swung the stick, jabbing it into the guy's stomach and then twisting it, stabbing up to smack him in the jaw and snapping his head back. Thorin made sure they stayed down and jerked, crouching down as he heard a gun go off.

Thorin watched as Kili fell to the ground, blood pooling around him. Thorin looked at Azog and snarled, lunging at the laughing man. He had to stop this. He had to. If he didn't then the monster, the defiler, would haunt him and his kin until none remained. It was a cycle that would not end and one that desperately needed to end. They struggled for the gun, Azog pushing it high over his head, but Thorin was no longer a dwarf. He grabbed for it, wrenching himself backwards as he got a hand on it, getting the weapon away from him.

Thorin took a quick step back and fired once, twice, three times. 

Azog fell to the ground, dead.

In the not too far off distance Thorin could hear sirens wailing.


	17. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue, tying up all the loose ends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the rollercoaster called Glass Arrows. Please relax as the car pulls into the bay and exit calmly. Don't forget to take all your belongings with you as you leave. Thank you for coming along with me on the ride.

“You need to stop getting shot,” Fili said from the end of Kili’s bed.

Kili looked at him blearily, buzzed on painkillers from surgery, not quite comprehending what he was seeing. “Ghost?” he asked, blinking.

Fili chuckled and reached out to take Kili’s hand. “Nope. I’m real.”

“Bomb,” Kili said, trying very hard to make his hand do what he wanted. Finally he managed to wrap his fingers around Fili’s hand and squeeze. It was flesh and bone under his fingers (unless the painkillers were a lot better than he thought they were).

“I was on the roof sketching,” Fili said. “I got trapped in the stairwell and hit my head when the building went down. See?” Fili turned his head, the bandage around his head showing that he had, actually, hit his head hard enough to require stitches. “Just some scrapes and bruises,” he said as Kili squinted in an effort to look for more damage. “Didn’t even break anymore bones. The stairwell protected me, or at least that’s what the firefighters said when they pulled me out. A couple of other people got trapped the same way and were fine too.”

Kili tugged on Fili’s hand, or at least attempted to, wanting Fili to lay down with him.

“You,” Fili said as he did, being careful not to knock Kili’s leg, “need to stop getting shot. Thorin was terrified. An inch higher and you would have hit the artery and bled out.”

Kili nuzzled in against Fili’s cheek, closing his eyes. “S’just my leg.”

“Yeah, just your leg,” Fili said, stroking Kili’s hair. “Idiot.”

Kili hummed softly in agreement, trying to focus his mind enough to see if the bond was still there.

“Stop that,” Fili said, gently cuffing Kili’s ear. “The bond’s there. You need to heal.”

“Wanna feel it,” Kili mumbled.

“Go to sleep,” Fili said sternly. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Kili tried to curl into Fili but his body wasn’t having it. He sighed, moving his head onto Fili’s shoulder, and let the drugs carry him into sleep.

:::

“You are a horrible brother!” Milena shouted, smacking Kili’s injured leg and startling him awake from the pain. He yelped, reaching down to grab his thigh and tried to breathe through the pain.

“That was uncalled for,” Fili said from Kili’s other side on the bed.

“No, it was completely called for,” Milena snapped.

Kili looked up at her and cringed back against the bed. His normally put together sister was a mess. Her hair was in a tangled and messy ponytail and her eyes were red rimmed. Her nose was red and chapped and she wasn’t wearing any makeup, a sure sign of distress, and she was wearing one of Kili’s old sweatshirts over a pair of ripped and stained jeans. He bit his lip, feeling the guilt surge through him. He’d been so focused on what was going on with his old life that he’d forgotten he had family here as well. Family who loved him and cared for him.

“Lena,” he started.

“No!” she said, rubbing at her nose. “You’re horrible. Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? You meet his new guy and then you get kidnapped and hurt and you don’t talk to me anymore and then your building gets blown up and no one knew if you were okay and then you get shot again! And you didn’t even call me! Bombur told me, you jerk. I had to hear about it from my husband that my brother was in the hospital!”

Kili reached out, grabbing at the sweatshirt and pulling Milena closer. She punched him in the shoulder, fighting against him pulling her closer. Kili let go of the cloth and moved, sitting up with Fili’s help, and grabbed at Milena, pulling her into his arms and holding her as much as he could with the hospital bed in the way. She held onto him, crying on his shoulder, occasionally smacking him as she did.

Kili tried to think of reassuring words but stayed silent, just holding his sister. Fili was trapped with him in the bed but wasn’t interfering, though he did lay a comforting hand on Kili’s hip. Kili rubbed Milena’s back as she cried and let her go once she started to pull away.

“I’m sorry, Lena,” he said. “It’s been... I can’t really explain it.Things have been crazy and I don’t know. But everything will be okay now, I promise. It’ll go back to normal.”

Milena dug in her purse for a tissue, blowing her nose and drying her eyes. “This is all your fault,” she said, pointing the tissue at Fili. “Everything was fine until you showed up. You come into his life and suddenly everyone wants to kill my baby brother!”

“Lena!” Kili protested. “That’s not true. It’s got nothing to do with Fili.”

“That’s not completely true,” Fili said, poking Kili’s side. “Look, things got a little crazy but Kili’s right. Everything should calm down now. I mean, in a way this was a good thing, everything happening at once rather than stretching out. Now things can go back to normal.”

Kili winced. Totally the wrong thing to say. He watched Milena’s mouth purse, lips thinning in anger, but she didn’t say anything. Instead she took a deep breath and let it out.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “It’s been, what, two and a half, three months since you two got together?” Kili nodded. “Well, his longest record of a relationship is six months. If you’re still around by then then we’ll have a little talk, you and me. And if anything else happens to my brother I’m taking it out of your skin. You understand me?”

“Yes ma’am,” Fili said. “I’m not too pleased about him getting hurt either. He attracts trouble, though.”

“You have no idea,” Milena said with a dark glare at Kili.

“Oh god, just shut up,” Kili said, hiding his face in his hands. “You’re gonna start telling him all the bad stuff about me, aren’t you.”

“No,” Milena said. “If he’s still here around Thanksgiving then it’s fair game.”

“What do I get if I’m still here by Christmas?” Fili asked with a smile.

“We’ll see,” Milena said. She reached out and stroked Kili’s hair. “When are you getting out of here?”

Kili shrugged, leaning into her touch. “Dunno. Soon, I think?”

“Oin said you’ll probably be released in three days. They want to make sure you’re not going to tear your stitches and that there’s no complications,” Fili offered.

“There you go,” Kili said.

“I’ll speak with your doctor later,” Milena said. “Just to make sure. You’re coming back with me. You don’t have anywhere to live and we have the space.”

Kili glanced at Fili and gave him a tiny smile before reaching out to poke Milena’s shoulder. “Fili’s coming with me. He was living with me before the explosion.”

Milena hesitated but nodded. “All right. I guess we’ll have to get used to each other a lot sooner than I thought.”

“I’d say I’d just go get a hotel room but Kili has this habit of getting into life threatening trouble if I take my eyes off him,” Fili said, ignoring the outraged noise Kili made and the punch he delivered to his shoulder. “So I figure it’ll be good to stay around and make sure he’s not doing anything...strenuous.”

“See if you’re gonna get laid anytime soon,” Kili muttered, leaning back into his pillows and crossing his arms unhappily. “Strenuous. Pfft.”

Milena blinked at Fili for a moment before chuckling. “You know, if you stick around and don’t end up getting my baby brother killed, we’re probably going to end up as excellent friends.”

“I would like nothing more,” Fili said honestly, reaching out to tweak Kili’s nose, wincing as Kili punched his side.

:::

Dwalin was the next to stop by. He came the morning Kili was to be discharged, baring three cups of coffee and a bag of donuts from Dunkin. Fili was sketching by the window while Kili texted Bard. His friend was pissed off at him and was making it very clear that they would be having some strong words at some point. The school, apparently, was devastated that he’d been hurt and what had happened to him. It wasn’t just the archery team or his English class, but the whole school.

It was a little humbling.

“You two never could do anything normal or half-way,” Dwalin said as greeting, setting the bag and coffees down on the bed table to Kili’s right. “Always had to do things the difficult way.”

“It builds character,” Fili said, his pencil still moving on the page.

“Yes, getting blown up and shot builds character,” Dwalin said dryly. “We should be very glad Balin is on the force or else there could have been a lot of issues from you two building character.”

Kili scooted forward on the bed, being very careful of his leg, and snagged one of the coffees and the donut bag, grabbing a glazed and sticking it in his mouth. He wasn’t about to apologize for anything that had happened. Things had ended up the way they had ended up and there wasn’t any use getting upset or worrying needlessly after the fact. Azog was dead. They were alive. These simple facts kept him from caring.

“Is there an old fashioned in there?” Fili asked Kili, closing the sketchbook and setting it aside.

“Of course there is,” Dwalin said, sticking his hands in his pockets. “How many donut have I bought you?”

Fili grinned, getting up and snagging the bag from Kili, fishing out the donut and breaking a piece off to pop in his mouth.

“So, you and Thorin, hunh?” Kili asked, once he had eaten half of the sugary donut.

“Got a problem with that?” Dwalin asked, arching a brow at Kili.

“I always thought you had a thing for Ma, to be honest,” Kili said. “You and Uncle were always close but I remember you making cow eyes at Ma more than once.”

Dwalin coughed, one hand going to rub over his shaved head. “Dis was a spectacular woman and we did, eventually, comfort each other after our losses. But this life isn’t that life.”

“Nope,” Fili said, eating the rest of his donut.. “It’s not. Besides, you and Uncle make sense too.”

“Who tops?” Kili asked, grinning as he took a sip of his coffee. “I can’t see either of you willingly giving in to either.”

“I don’t want to know,” Fili said, a hand going up to cover Kili’s mouth. “Stop asking questions you don’t want to know the answers to. Because if I don’t I doubt you do. Just accept it and more on. Because if you make me think about the particulars I will make you pay on so many levels it won’t even be funny.”

“Who’s coming to pick you up?” Dwalin asked, changing the subject. “Balin said you were going to be staying with Kili’s sister and Bombur.”

“For the time being,” Fili said. “Then we’ll find a place to live and get on with our lives.”

“When’s the cast coming off?” Dwalin asked, taking the coffees out of the drink carrier and throwing it out. He picked up one of them and took the top off, sipping it. Fili took the other one and looked in the donut bag to see if there were any others he’d want. Kili nudged him, finishing off the rest of his glazed. Fili rolled his eyes and pulled out a jelly donut.

“Two more weeks,” Fili said. “I’d help out at the forge but, well. You’d chase me out.”

“Damned straight,” Dwalin said. “Once that cast comes off you’re going to be there and help me out. I’ve still got work for you to do.”

Fili smiled and nodded. “You got it.”

Kili leaned against Fili. “I’m a little jealous. I miss working in the forge.”

“Tough shit,” Fili said, taking a bite of the donut. “That’s my realm now.”

“When are we gonna do the whole get together?” Kili asked.

“We’re still trying to figure it out,” Dwalin said. “Nori and Ori remembered, finally, and they’re taking Dori’s death a little hard. We’re going to give them whatever time they need and then we’ll work around that.”

Kili sipped his coffee. “I feel bad, that Dori died because of me and Fili. I don’t know what to say to them. I don’t even really remember Dori in this life. I mean, I saw him around, but you know how it is. You almost never say hi to your neighbours. You just kind of ignore them if you’re in the hall at the same time.”

“None of it is your fault,” Dwalin said. “It’s Azog’s. Nothing done was because of you or Fili.”

Kili shrugged and rested his head on Fili’s shoulder, closing his eyes. Just because Dwalin said it didn’t mean anything. Everyone’s life had been upended because of their family, just like last time. He wondered what he could do to try and make it up to Ori and Nori. He had liked them both before, even if Ori had had such an obvious crush on Fili (not that he could blame him), but they had been friends. Nori had taught Kili to steal without getting caught by his brother or uncle, which had led to a lot of mischief on Kili’s part. Ori had been quiet, but had explain things to Kili when he had asked, and had even made him some fingerless gloves one winter when Kili had been the primary source of game in Ered Luin. His fingers had always been cold, even through his leather gloves that let him use his bow, but Ori’s gift had helped immensely.

“Oh, before I forget,” Dwalin said. “Got something for you lads.”

Kili cracked an eye open and watched Dwalin dig something out of his back pocket. He tossed them to Fili and Kili tilted his head and opened his other eye. Fili was holding a pair of pendants on rough leather cord. The pendants were made of silver, very carefully crafted to look like their sigils. Kili touched his with a careful finger, smiling at it.

“Started making them the moment I saw Fili drawing his over and over,” Dwalin said, drinking more coffee. “I figured at some point the two of you would remember and would want them.”

Fili put his on. “Thank you,” he said softly. “Not just for this, but for everything. You knew when you first saw me, didn’t you?”

“I tried doing whatever I could to help you,” Dwalin said. “I have no regrets and you shouldn’t either. New lease on life and all that.”

Kili was still holding his, tracing the careful lines of the pendant. “These are gorgeous,” he said, looking up at Dwalin. “You always did make the most beautiful things. You made our hair clips before, right? That’s what Ma used to say.”

Dwalin reached out and gently ruffled Kili’s hair. “You two get some rest, okay?”

“Resting seems to be all we’re doing lately,” Fili said.

“Don’t complain,” Kili said with a grin. “Be careful what you wish for and all that. I, for one, am looking forward to leading a boring life again.”

:::

Kili looked up from tugging a t-shirt on when he heard the knock at the door. Oin had come to collect Fili for some of the last doses of the drug that would get him off the opiates ten minutes ago and said it would take about thirty minutes. Milena wasn’t due to pick them up for another hour so it couldn’t be her. Kili frowned, pulling the t-shirt down and then opened the door to his room.

“Thran,” Kili said with a smile at the tall blond. 

“I wanted to check on you,” Thranduil said, looking around the room before coming in and closing the door. “But there have been others making sure I didn’t.”

“Lena?” Kili guessed, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Thranduil smiled. “And Thorin.”

Kili winced and chuckled. “Yeah, we all kind of remembered. And he wasn’t exactly your biggest fan.”

“A mild statement,” Thranduil said. He sat down on the bed with Kili and pulled him into a hug, kissing his forehead. “Everything worked out for you, did it not?”

“In a way,” Kili said. “Getting shot and kidnapped was a good thing. Got me to wake up and remember.”

“You have your brother again,” Thranduil said, rubbing Kili’s shoulder. “Your One. That must be a relief.”

Kili smiled, relaxing into him. “It is. My family isn’t going to appreciate, or understand, us being friends.”

“We should most likely keep it to archery,” Thranduil said. “I just wanted to make sure you were all right. Bard is doing well with your team and there are a few I would like to see at a later date. You’ve taught them very well.”

“You helped me learn a lot,” Kili said. “It was only fair to pass it along.”

Thranduil chuckled and kissed Kili’s forehead again before standing. “Once summer starts I’ll come by and see the team.”

Kili nodded, a little sad to see Thranduil go, but he knew it was probably better. If Thorin or Fili saw him they would not react well, and Milena would beat the crap out of the former elf in a heartbeat. It was actually fortunate timing as Fili came back in moments later. Kili smiled up at him as Fili pushed him back onto the bed and kissed him. Kili smiled into the kidd, reaching up to thread his fingers through Fili’s hair. 

“I can’t wait to spread you out on a bed again,” Fili said, kissing Kili again.

“That’s going to have to wait,” Kili said, hands on Fili’s chest. “I’m not having sex in my sister’s guest room.”

“Afraid she might hear us?” Fili asked.

“Oh, no, see, she did hear me once. And proceeded to talk about nothing else for the next week,” Kili said, kissing Fili. “I was seventeen. Do you have any idea how mortifying that was?”

Fili ran a hand down Kili’s side. “You’re going to let your sister dictate your sex life?”

“You bet your ass I am,” Kili said.

Fili pulled away and arched an eyebrow at Kili. “Seriously?”

“Wow, he has a very fine ass,” Milena said from the door.

Kili chuckled up at Fili. “See? She’s not going to stop.” He pushed Fili off himself and sat up, waving at Milena. “I have crutches. I hate crutches.”

“Drama queen,” Milena said. “I’ll go see if I can get you a chair. Feel free to continue molesting each other.”

“She is definitely your sister,” Fili said as Milena left. “We would have gotten along with her so well.”

Kili kissed Fili. “We would have. We still will. Because we get to live with her until we find a place. And that is totally up to you.”

“Me?”

“Go find us somewhere nice to live,” Kili said. “Cuz I can’t limp my way around Boston looking for a new place.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I have requirements,” Kili continued, smiling a little. “I’ll tell them to you after Milena makes us dinner. She cooks at home so Bombur can relax.”

“Bossy, bossy, bossy,” Fili chuckled, kissing Kili and tugging on the cord of the necklace that Dwalin had given him.

“Damned straight,” Kili said.

:::

Bilbo looked up from his book as the bell over the door jingled lightly. “Hello, how may I--Gandalf.”

“Bilbo, my dear friend, how are you?” Gandalf asked, taking off his fedora and setting it on the counter.

“Better now that I can talk about things,” Bilbo said, arching an eyebrow at the other man. “May I say, you look very dashing in all that white.”

Gandalf chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets. “I am sorry about that.”

“Do you know why your little temper tantrum went wrong?” Bilbo asked, going around the counter and beckoning Gandalf to the side office where he had an electric tea kettle keeping water for tea warm. He made them two cups and gestured to Gandalf to sit on a stool.

“It wasn’t a temper tantrum,” Gandalf said as he accepted the cup.

Bilbo snorted. “Yes it was. You threw a temper tantrum at Thorin because he gave into the curse on his blood, he gave into the gold lust and he almost threw me off Erebor and he got his nephews killed. And that made you mad and you acted on it.”

Gandalf took a sip of tea. “I stand by my statement.”

“Of course you do,” Bilbo said with a smile. “You know they came to see me, Thorin and Dwalin.”

“And how did that go?” Gandalf asked.

“Extremely awkward,” Bilbo said. “Thorin made his apologies and explanations. I accepted. They left.” Gandalf hummed and sipped his tea. Bilbo chuckled and shook his head. “Fili used to live around here. Once he and Kili came in. It was good to see them together, happy.”

“They are still very happy, and they do remember now. They’re the ones that broke the spell,” Gandalf said.

“I had supposed,” Bilbo said. They drank their tea in silence, Bilbo watching Gandalf in silence. “What now?” he asked finally.

“Now nothing,” Gandalf said. “You all go on with your lives, living them in peace and quiet. I couldn’t stop what happened with Azog, nor would I if I could have. Certain events needed to happen as they did if everything else was to fall into place.”

Bilbo smiled. “Wizards. You are so very strange, even now.”

Gandalf chuckled and finished his tea, setting it down on the counter. “I’ll take my leave now, I think.”

“Dinner next week?” Bilbo asked.

Gandalf nodded and left the room and then the store. Bilbo finished his tea and set the cups aside before going back out to the sales counter. He looked down at his book, touching the cover absently as he thought about that visit. 

Awkward almost didn’t cover how seeing Thorin again had went. Before, in Middle Earth, they had been sweet on each other which was why it had hurt so much when Thorin had turned on him. Thorin had been a bitter man who was scrabbling for hope and a dream but that wasn’t who he was anymore. The man Bilbo had admired and loved no longer existed. Even Dwalin had been different, more open and less likely to shut someone out for not being like him. 

Bilbo supposed it wasn’t too surprising that they had ended up together, given how they were such close friends in both lives. He had always held his suspicions before but they had been, before, unfounded. He had been foolish to hope that in this life he and Thorin could mend their relationship and finally take those last steps.

Foolish old man, that’s what he was.

Bilbo sat back down and picked up his book.

:::

Nori’s bar was loud with laughter. Tables had been shoved together for people to sit while they ate the food Bombur had prepared and people were up and moving, sitting next to this person or that as they caught up and ate and drank. Everyone had given Ori and Nori hugs and their sympathies, promises that they would be there for the two brothers if they ever needed them. There were loud congratulations to Bofur for creating games and being rich off them, everyone knowing that he’d always made the best games. There were cheers for Bifur who could finally talk and insult the others as he wanted.

There was good natured teasing for Thorin and the fact he was a high school principal and nothing at all like his former self. Nori had teased him, saying that they had expected Thorin to be a soldier or some rich businessman to which Thorin had said he had had enough of war and he wanted an easier, quieter life. There had been equal teasing and laughs at Dwalin for the same reasons, but he merely smirked at anyone who teased him. He knew he had the life he had always been fighting for in Middle Earth and he was satisfied.

Kili, fresh off his crutches, had been grabbed and hugged by every member of their company as was Fili. Balin had recounted the story of how Kili and Fili had broken the curse and there were toasts and more cheers. Fili stayed with him as they sat down, holding Kili’s hand as they drank beer and laughed as Bofur and Bombur talked and Bofur threw food at his brother like he always had before. 

Gloin and Oin, both who had already known each other, sat at the table and ate as they caught up with other members of the company. There had been questions about Gimli, if Gloin knew where his son was, and Gloin had reassured anyone who asked that he had found him. Gimli was living in North Carolina and going to school. He didn’t know what Gimli was studying but he had sent his son an email. It had been blank except for Gloin’s phone number, just in case Gimli didn’t remember yet, and Gloin was waiting anxiously for his call.

“Everything’s turned out pretty well, hasn’t it?” Fili asked, leaning over and kissing Kili’s cheek as a dart board was brought out and bets placed as Nori and Dwalin took their places and the darts.

“It has, actually,” Kili said. “Who would have thought? It’s nice, though, having everyone together and happy.”

“Even better to know that our second chance has led to everyone being happy and content,” Fili said. He scooted their chairs closer together and maneuvered them so that Kili was resting back against him. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. I think I found us an apartment.”

“Yeah?” Kili asked as he pulled Fili’s arms around him.

“Yep. It’s South Boston, a couple of blocks away from the Prudential Center, decently big, and overlooking a park and garden. It even had a balcony.”

“Sounds perfect,” Kili said.

“And,” Fili said, kissing Kili’s cheek. “I have a hotel room for us later.”

Kili laughed. “Do you? You sure you don’t want to try having sex back at Milena’s again?”

“Considering the fact that the last time she heard us she came in and took pictures? I’d say that’s a strong hell no.”

Kili snickered. “I told you she was evil.”

“Serves me right for not listening to you,” Fili said, squeezing Kili gently.

“Yes, it does,” Kili said. 

Fili was about to say something when the noise suddenly died down. He frowned, craning his neck to see the door where two people had just entered. Fili nudged Kili, his eyes wide.

“Ma?” Kili asked, sitting up suddenly.

Thorin had stepped forward, his face white. “Dis, Frerin...”

“How incredibly rude of you, Thorin, to not invite us to your little reunion,” Dis said, her hands on her hips. She was glaring at Thorin in a way that made both Fili and Kili shrink back in remembered fear. “Especially since you should have realized who we are.”

“I--?” Thorin tried.

“Our son ends up in your office often enough,” Frerin said with a wide smile. Fili could see, suddenly, why everyone had compared him to his long-dead uncle. Frerin’s smile was Fili’s, as was his hair. “You never made the connection?”

Thorin stared, his jaw dropping as he finally realized. Kili’s eyebrows were raised as he figured it out himself. He was teaching his own half-sibling. “No.”

“Yes,” Frerin said cheerfully.

“Dis,” Dwalin said, stepping forward. He was smiling and held his arms out to her.

Dis stomped up to him, tilting her head up to meet Dwalin’s eyes. “You are a horrible man,” she said. “I was expecting you to come find us.”

“No apologies,” Dwalin said.

“We’ll just have to teach you a lesson later,” Dis said, grabbing two fist fulls of Dwalin’s shirt and pulling him down for a kiss that had Fili’s jaw dropping in shock.

Frerin laughed. “Oh, well, since we’re doing kisses now.” He went up to Thorin and cupped his face before kissing him with enough desire that Fili felt slightly uncomfortable watching it.

Kili blinked. “Hunh. Guess that’s that?”

“How’d we miss that?” Fili asked.

The stunned silence of the company ended as everyone started laughing or loudly demanded answers. Thorin, though, had wrapped an arm around Frerin’s waist, keeping him close as Dwalin and Dis had stopped kissing to rest their heads against each other’s gently, the both of them smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As far as I'm concerned, this story is now officially finished. I'll still probably write for this verse but that'll be stuff I dump in Mithril Arrows. Whenever I open prompts up on Tumblr you can request this verse, but I'm satisfied with this as it is. :)


End file.
